Another life, another galaxy
by allisonwondrland
Summary: Stella Tompkins is your average 24 year old. Regular job, regular family, regular favorite movie. Until she falls into another universe entirely, and the hands of the First Order... In her favorite movie. Kylo Ren/OFC. Cross Posted.
1. chapter 1

**A/N... Alright, here we go. Cross posting on here and AO3. Real world Insert into Star Wars! Enjoy!!**

As the credits for Star Wars: The Last Jedi begin rolling, the crowd files out of the theater, excitedly chatting amongst themselves. Stella Tompkins, along with two of her sisters and her father shove their way out of the group; each one grinning ear to ear.

"Just as good as the first time." She tosses a piece of popcorn into the air, effortlessly catching it in her mouth.

"I still can't believe you went without us." Her sister Brittany nudges her shoulder, knocking her off her balance and into their third sibling, Natalie. "Way to break tradition!"

"Watch it!" Nat scolds, barely looking up from her cell phone. Not even 5 minutes after the end of the movie and she's already texting the new boyfriend. Her obsession with her phone drives Stella up a wall.

"Girls." Their dad chimes in, laughing to himself as he follows close behind his three adult children.

"What'd you think, Dad?" Stella turns to her father with eagerly. Star Wars has always been something the pair bonded over, so his opinion means the world to her. "Did you love it?"

"I mean.." He begins, shrugging as he digs into his pocket for the keys to his car. "I wasn't a huge fan of what they did with Luke. And I wanted more from Snoke. But, I liked baby Vader more in this one, that's for sure."

"You just broke Stellas heart, dad." Natalie laughs, sliding into the backseat of the silver SUV. Brittany snorts, following her sister. Stella, who has always (as oldest) retained the right to ride shotgun, rolls her eyes and slams her door shut tightly.

The short drive from the theater to the Tompkins family's small home is filled with laughter, inevitable arguing between the girls, and debate between Stella and her Dad about the movie. As the SUV pulls into the driveway, the cold chill of being watched rushes down Stella's spine. She whips around, staring out the back windshield for any sign of something out of the ordinary. The cloaked figure of an almost familiar woman stands in the falling snow near her own car, but disappears just as quickly. Her sisters follow her gaze, both raising their brows at her reaction and paling complexion.

"Everything ok, Stel?" Brittany waves a hand in front of her eyes, trying to knock her older sister out of her trance.

Blinking rapidly, Stella shakes her head. "Yeah, sorry." She begins, facing forward again and crawling out of the now parked vehicle. "It was nothing."

"Sisters!" The shrill cry of a young girl rings out, echoing through the garage. "Daddy!"

"Hey looney!" With a big smile, Stella scoops their 4 year old sister off the ground and into her arms. "How's my favorite preschooler?"

"It's LUNA! Not Looney!" The young girl giggles wildly, wrapping her arms around the woman 20 years her senior. Natalie manages to look up from her phone for a moment, just long enough to plant a big kiss on the toddlers cheek. Brittany does the same, snatching her out of Stella's arms. Marshall Tompkins watches proudly, slipping an arm around his wife's waist, as his three oldest girls snuggle up to their half sister. Katherine looks up at her husband with a soft smile, resting into his arms.

"How was the movie?" The girls' stepmother cocks her head to the side inquisitively.

"Amazing." "Decent." "Dad didn't like it." They answer simultaneously, earning a loud laugh from the blonde hooked on their fathers arm.

The short hairs on the back of Stella's neck stand on end as the all too familiar feeling of being watched hits her yet again. She sets the youngest Tompkins girl down, ruffling her hair as she tries to slow her now speeding pulse. "I think I'm going to head home. I'm exhausted all of a sudden."

After a long round of goodbyes, hugs and kisses all around, Stella makes her way out to her small, very old car. Her brows knit together as she notices something glimmering on top of the hood, just peeking out of the fresh snow. She dusts the snow away, revealing a small lavender crystal. "What..?" She questions, lifting the object into her hands and examining it under the streetlights yellow glow. The crystal pulses against her palms, humming with electricity as the once bright street falls into total darkness. The ground beneath her feet spirals out and she loses her balance, falling backwards into the icy snow. The crystal seems to explode in front of her, a burst of violet shooting out in all directions.

"Fuck." She mumbles, certain she's started hallucinating. Rubbing her now soaking wet palms against her eyes, she inhales deeply. "I really need sleep." Her eyes begin to adjust to the inky black of night, and a realization washes over her shivering form. This is no longer her fathers neighborhood. These are no longer the streets of her small town in Iowa. Massive trees loom over her head, only illuminated by a pinpoint of light across the heavy forest now surrounding her. Stella drags herself to her feet, dusting the snow away from her arms and legs. Her head peeks around the thick trunk, in the direction of the light and she twists a strand of hair in her fingertips nervously. With a deep breath, she squares her shoulders, forcing an air of confidence and begins running at full speed toward the small flicker of light.

Everything inside of her begs her to stop. Do not go into the light. This can't be right. Her legs seem to work on autopilot, rushing her closer to the now visible and ever growing cement building. Her thoughts are interrupted by the crunching of ice under heavy boots behind her. She stops dead, freezing in her tracks. Something hard slams against the back of her head and Stella falls against the ground, completely unconscious.

"Bring the trespasser to a holding cell and alert the General immediately."


	2. Ch 2

Stella jerks awake, only vaguely aware of how she arrived in this pitch black room. Her wrists and ankles are bound, shackled down against a metal slab. She leans forward as much as her bonds will allow, craning her neck and narrowing her eyes in an attempt to assess her surroundings. Fuck fuck fuck! Alarms sound in her mind, as her chest tightens with fear. The heavy cuffs bite at her skin as she begins to thrash around, rolling her shoulders and kicking her legs. A shriek escapes her dry throat, the severity of the situation setting in in her mind.

"Enough!" A taut voice, masked by some kind of helmet commands from the opposite side of the glorified prison cell.

Her lips snap shut, petrified by the sudden appearance of another. The figure, shrouded in shadows, appears massive, possibly fully covered in some kind of armor.

What the hell? She thinks, squinting harder to make out exactly who is standing guard. The creature steps out of the blackened doorway, into the dimly lit hall and her eyes grow twice their size. Her hopes kindle in her stomach, laughter bubbling up inside of her as white Stormtrooper armor comes into full view.

"Ok, who put you up to this?" Stella raises an eyebrow, almost smirking. "Was it Brittany? No, Dad. It had to be dad. Good prank guys."

"Quiet." The trooper barks, keeping his back to her. The girl only laughs harder.

"Staying in character. Got it." She mocks, settling back against the slab.

The stormtrooper stiffens, standing at attention as another figure sweeps by him and into the room. The door to the cell swings shut behind the new, black clad creature stalking toward her.

"Let me guess. Kylo Ren right?" Stella hums, impressed by the detail put into all of this. He steps closer, completely blending into the dark room except for the silver details on his uniform. "Nice costume. Looks almost movie quality. It's too bad it doesn't come with Adam Driver underneath!" She snorts. "So are you going to loosen these cuffs? I'm all for playing along with this extravagant set up but come on, I'm starting to bleed here."

"Extravagant set up?" The mechanical voice, altered by his helmet repeats. Kylo Ren stares the girl up and down, furrowing his brow. Moments ago he could sense her panic, and hear her screams from down the hall and now she seems perfectly at home. "You are far too relaxed, trespasser."

She simply blinks, shifting against her bonds. Her eyes bore into him, as if she can see through his helmet and directly into his eyes. Like a predator stalking his prey, he takes a menacing step closer to her, but she hardly flinches. He tilts chin down, eyeing her carefully as his lips twitch into a snarl. She should be shaking with terror. Not laughing in his face.

With a wave of his left hand, the girl drops into a deep sleep and slumps back.

"Who are you?" Kylo Ren murmurs, trailing a gloved finger over the jawline of the now unconscious, oddly dressed girl in his interrogation room. His fingertips rest against her temple as he concentrates on the power within him, dipping into her memories.

He rakes through the girls mind, only growing more confused at the unfamiliar places and images in her memories. He concentrates harder, pushing further into the depths of her subconscious. She twitches beneath his touch, sweat beading up on her forehead in response to the pain. An image of three girls and one man seated in plush red seats, staring intensely at a large screen pops forward in her mind. Kylo Ren watches as his own likeness passes across a less advanced holoprojector, interrogating the scavenger in a mirror image of this very room. His eyes narrow. How has she seen this? He wonders, delving deeper into the memory. The girl, a few years younger than her current appearance takes an elbow to the ribs as the scene plays out in front of them. Her companions giggle as she swoons over the man beneath the black mask, identical to his own.

"Stella, I don't get it." One girl chides in a harsh whisper. "He's not cute."

"You have no taste, little sister!" His prisoner retorts, eyes never leaving the screen.

He smirks, stroking his own ego at her admiration for his look alike. His grip on her mind releases as sweat pools on his own forehead. He regards the girl cautiously, waving a hand and unlocking her cuffs. Kylo Ren catches her slumped figure as she slips from the angled slab, no longer shackled into place. Her body, featherlight in his strong arms, instinctively curls up against his chest. It's been many years since he has felt a touch so gentle or pure. His breath hitches in his throat and he quickly places her on the floor and storms out of the room.

"No one enters without my order." He tosses the direction over his shoulder to the Stormtrooper standing guard. The soldier nods and quickly mumbles a "Yes Commander." as Kylo's long strides carry him away from the interrogation room. His thoughts drift back to what he saw in her mind, fists clenching tightly at his sides.


	3. Ch 3

For the second time since her incarceration, Stella wakes up to a stark black room and a blurred memory of how she got there. Her bonds are removed this time, leaving behind dried blood and purpling bruises in their wake. She sits up, hugging her knees to her chest and rests her chin on top of the ripped black denim covering her legs. A throbbing ache beats against her head, she assumes from smacking it against the ground outside of her Dad's house. Tears threaten to drop from her hazel eyes but she blinks hard, swallowing them back and forcing herself to remain strong. Whatever this is, it'll be over soon. She repeats, mentally reminding herself that it is just some drawn out prank. And she will get her revenge on whoever decided to keep the joke going this long.

She massages her temples, rolling her finger tips in circles over the skin as hammers seem to pound against her skull. The pain pulses through her, sending waves of nausea to her stomach. Bile rises in her throat but Stella gulps it back.

"Comfortable?" Exactly as he mocked Poe in The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren steps out of the darkest corner of the cell and cocks his head to the side. It sounds so similar to the film, she finds herself biting back a smirk.

"Not really." She retorts, playing along.

He rolls his eyes beneath the helmet, growing weary of her smart attitude and childish mentality. "How have you seen the things in your mind?" Kylo growls.

"Cute. Jedi mind tricked me, huh?" She grins, twirling a lock of her brunette hair around her index finger.

"You are still operating under the assumption that this is all some kind of 'prank'?" The leather of his gloves creases as he balls his hands into fists, aggravated by her nonchalant tone. Her shoulders lift into a half shrug. Ren clasps either side of his helmet, and removes it from his head in one swift motion.

Stella's widening eyes slow trail over every inch of his exposed face, panic gripping her insides. While not identical to the actor associated with him, this man is bares a striking resemblance.. so much so that she finds herself completely speechless. A satisfied smirk plays at his lips. He raises a hand out, using the force to drag the girl up from her seat on the floor. As she meets his eyes, legs dangling in the air, he knows she has finally understood that this is no practical joke. Her body stiffens under his invisible grasp; Her heart slamming wildly against her chest.

"But…" she stammers as he releases her. Stella stares up at him, her short frame barely coming up to his chin, and on trembling legs, backs away slowly. "You are fictional. This is impossible."

"As I was saying before," Kylo Ren begins slowly pacing back and forth across the span of the small cell. "How is it that you have such vivid memories of my interactions with the scavenger?"

"Rey? I.. it was.. it was in the movies?" She chokes out, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Her body presses hard against the cold metal of the wall and she winces, realizing she can't get any further away from her captor.

"Movies?"

"Yeah.." Stella trails off, chewing on her bottom lip as she tries to find the right words to explain it without insulting his intelligence. His legendary short temper in said movies has not been forgotten by her. "You.. well, all of this. It's not real. In my world, or galaxy, whatever," She shakes her head. "You are a character in a fictional story. A guy named Adam Driver plays you. It's kind of frightening now spot on the casting was."

Ren's brows furrow, creasing his forehead as he repeats her words in his head. "And the girl?" He asks after a moment of contemplation, disdain dripping from his voice.

"She's kind of the hero at this point in the story." She shrugs, a small smile quirking on her lips. "It's kind of cute actually. I must have had about a dozen little girls dressed as her stop by on Hallow-"

His fist slams against the wall, cutting her off midsentence and leaving a massive dent next to her head. Stella flinches, a fearful squeal escaping her lungs. If he notices her reaction, he gives nothing away. Kylo rolls his jaw, cursing under his breath.

"Where, um," She asks after managing to find her voice. "Where are we anyway?"

"Starkiller Base." He grunts, barely looking up at her.

Her eyes roll up toward the ceiling, thinking back to the film. "So.. Rey is here then?" He casts a veiled glance in her direction, neither confirming or denying her question. "Well she's here for now anyway." Stella laughs, forgetting whose company she is in as she rambles on. "This place is going to blow up, you know. Wait, does that mean Han Solo is still alive?"

"Enough!" He roars. Tendrils of energy unleash from his fingertips, clenching around her throat. Her deep blue eyes widen as her airflow is restricted and her hands fly to her neck, clawing at the invisible hand gripping it. He drags the girl across the floor toward him and leers down at her. "What do you mean 'still alive'?"

"You killed him at the end of the movie." She chokes out. His hold loosens just enough to allow her to catch her breath. A smirk creeps over his features as her panic stricken eyes meet his. "You have just proven yourself worthy of remaining alive for the time being, trespasser."

She crumbles to the floor as his grip releases, curling herself into a little ball as he retreats from the cell. As the doors hiss shut behind the dramatic exit of his flowing cape, she gulps hard.

"Don't give him anymore of the story.." she mumbles into the otherwise empty space. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, Stella shakes her head. The idea that any of this is even remotely real still baffles her. She pinches the skin on her forearm, half expecting (and completely praying) to wake up in her bed back home. Barely peeking her eyes open, she allows tears to flow freely upon realizing this isn't a dream. She isn't going home.


	4. Ch 4

Kylo Ren sweeps out of the room, practically sprinting through the halls of the Starkiller Base toward the cell holding Rey. The blast doors fly open, blowing his cloak behind him with a dramatic flourish. A mirthless laugh escapes his throat as he finds the interrogation room empty. His lips curl back in a snarl as anger roars through him. The trespassing brat was right. In one swift motion, his lightsaber is drawn from his side and ignited. He slashes the weapon across the walls, sending sparks flying through the air. Rage fuels his movements, seeing red as he destroys the room without a second thought.

His ragged breathing, modified by his helmet's vocoder, echoes around the otherwise silent room as he holsters the blade and whips around to the door. Kylo stomps down the now empty halls, returning to the outsider's holding cell.

"You." He sneers, eyeing the sobbing mess of a girl on the floor of the room. She scrambles to her feet, hurrying to wipe tears away in embarrassment. "Come with me."

Stella presses her lips together in a hard line as he grasps her upper arm and drags her into the labyrinth of halls in the base. His long strides are nearly double that of hers and she finds herself jogging to keep up. "Where are we going?" She squeaks, rolling her shoulder to try and loosen his grip. Upon turning a corner, she gets an answer, despite his silence. The command center of the Starkiller Base. Her breathing hitches in her throat as her hands behind trembling at her sides. Kylo smirks under his mask as a rush of fear flows through the girl at his side. General Hux turns on his heel, upper lip curling at the sight of Kylo Ren and his hostage.

"One escapes so you bring the other one with you, Ren?" He jeers, nostrils flaring.

"General, I'm leaving my new advisor," Kylo stifles a laugh at his own choice of words, not failing to notice the girl's blue eyes narrowing up at him and shooting sparks. "In your care for the time being."

"Excuse me?" Stella's expression hardens.

A heavily armored stormtrooper approaches, his boots pounding against the ground with every step. "Sir, sensors triggered in hangar 718. We're searching the area."

"She's just beginning to test her powers." Ren begins. "The longer it takes to find her, the more dangerous she becomes." He waves off the trooper dismissively, returning his full attention to the seething red haired man in front of him. "This one remains here, with you, General." He spits the title, clearly mocking someone he views as his subordinate. Before Hux can retort, Ren shoves Stella closer to him and stalks out of the bridge behind the exiting Stormtroopers.

General Hux curses under his breath, barely audible to even Stella. He leers down at the girl, imagining the many ways he will get Kylo Ren back for this inconvenience. "Lieutenant," He calls over his shoulder. A man Stella recognizes as his right hand from the films steps forward. "Cuff her." The familiar man all but runs to do as he's been ordered. She bites back a laugh at how afraid of the General everyone seems to be, and holds her wrists out to him submissively.

Hux looks the girl up and down, creasing his brow as he eyes the strangely masculine clothing she wears. Her bloodshot eyes trail slowly around the command center, jaw slacking slightly in awe. It's clear to him that she's impressed by his military base. He almost grins, clasping his hands behind his back and circling around her. "Bring me Phasma." He commands the eagerly waiting lieutenant.

An explosion rattles the base, shaking the floor beneath them. Stella winces, chewing on her bottom lip. Hux seems unphased, turning his back to her and moving across the room to a seated officer. "Report." He barks.

"Weapon charged in 7 minutes, sir."

"Captain Phasma isn't at her post, General." Lieutenant Mitaka's voice shakes as he speaks, barely looking up from the datapad in his hands.

"Check the trash compactor." Stella mumbles, rocking back and forth on her toes as she moves closer to the large windows lining the walls. X-Wings fly overhead, cutting through the atmosphere and shooting at the heavily armed base.

With curt nod, mentally debating if he's completely gone mad for listening to the girls suggestion, Hux fixes his gaze on the holoscreen in front of him and waits for Mitaka to load the security hologram. Phasma's chrome armor shines amongst the debris in the trash compactor as she fights to escape. Despite his poker face, a muscle twitches in General Hux's jaw as he pins the prisoner girl with eyes.

"Lucky guess." Stella shrugs at his unasked question as though it was obvious, the corners of her lips curving into a small smile as she observes the footage alongside him.

"Five minutes, General." An officer shouts across the bustling command center as another blast fractures the base.

"He must have gotten to the oscillator by now.." Stella murmurs to herself, turning her face away as she replays the scenes from the film in her mind. Hux cocks a brow inquisitively, but ignores her for the time being. He has far too many questions to begin asking at this dire moment.

As the clock ticks down, the light outside draining into total darkness, he shouts orders to his military. Stella sucks in her bottom lip, chewing nervously as the sky falls black and the explosions grow in strength, crippling the walls around her. She wrings her hands anxiously, clanging the cuffs together and shifting her weight to her other hip.

"They're going to blow this planet to smithereens you know!" She groans, wondering why they hadn't begun evacuating yet.

"Quiet." Hux scolds, eyeing the damage around him. His mask of control fades for a brief moment, terror flashing over his features. For that single moment, Stella finds herself feeling sorry for General Hux. His indignant scowl returns just as quickly as it disappeared.

"They've ruptured the fuel cells, General!" The panicked voice of Lt Mitaka rings out from behind him. With a grunt, Hux grasps Stellas forearm of and pulls her out of the bridge. The two hurry through the collapsing structure, coming to a halt in a darkened, abandoned hangar. Immediately realizing what is coming, Stella shrinks back, ripping her arm away from him. The hairs along the back of her neck prickle as a rush of fresh terror flows through her veins.

"Stay put." He growls as a large hologram appears in front of him, projected from the holopad across the room. Supreme Leader Snoke leers down at his General from his massive throne, not even acknowledging the cowering girl with him. "Supreme Leader," He begins only to be cut off by the dismissive wave of Snoke's alien like fingers.

"Leave the base at once and come to me with Kylo Ren. It is time to complete his training." The grim, gravelly tone of Snoke's voice sends a chill down Stella's spine. His wormy complexion and mutilated face is far more terrifying in reality than the recreations in her galaxy could ever hope to achieve. She gulps hard, remaining as still as possible until the image fades away.

"Come." Hux bellows over the boom of another explosion. Fear stricken, and willing to do anything to survive, Stella runs along behind him toward the docking bay. His troops stand at attention, despite the destruction around them, waiting for his command. Her eyebrows shoot up at their obedience. "Evacuate the Base immediately. All ships to the Supremacy. Now!"

The engines of TIE fighters, First Order Transports and Kylo Ren's command shuttle flare to life almost simultaneously. Hux lightly pushes the cuffed girl up the ramp of the command shuttle, hustling behind her and preparing the vessel for lift off.

"Find Kylo Ren and get us the hell off of this planet." He grumbles to the pilot as the ramp ascends and the shuttle lifts into the air.


	5. Ch 5

Stella's cell on the Supremacy isn't much different than the small holding cell on the Base. 'At least they're consistent.' She smirks, thinking to herself as she stares around the little room. The walls are black, only adorned with one small window just out of her reach. She can only just make out the unreal view of the solar system outside from the bare cot provided for her. She curls up against the cot, watching as the stars pass her by and daydreaming of her family back home. Tucking her hands into the front pocket of her grey hoodie, she sighs softly and closes her eyes, allowing exhaustion to take over and lull her into a restless sleep.

Two days pass, at least she assumes it's been two days based on meal deliveries, before anyone remotely acknowledges her presence on the ship. The unchanging scenery and lack of light outside her tiny window messes with her perception of time but the exact schedule of meals left for her has created some sense of normalcy. Her stomach growls, indicating it should be time for her last meal of the day. She eyes the little slat in the door, expecting it to open any second. The door to her cell, rather than the the tiny slat, whooshes open, startling her.

"Ren requested you." Is all the stormtrooper in her doorway says before gripping her arm and pulling her, for the first time, out of her cell. Stella's eyes barely have a chance to react to the light before her escort stops in front of a new set of blaster doors. The trooper types a code into the pad just off to the right and gestures for her to enter as the doors fly open.

"Um.. thanks." She murmurs, wringing her hands as she steps inside. The doors close behind her, blowing her hair forward and she anxiously smooths it back into place. Her light footsteps carry her into what looks like an apartment. She glances in every direction, spotting a helmetless Kylo Ren near a long, extravagant dining table.

"Please," he begins, pulling out a chair for her. "Sit." With a fearful gulp, Stella inches forward, perching on the edge of the plush chair. He moves to the opposite side of the table, taking his own seat across from her.

Her gaze trails over his face, from the black bandage decorating his clean shaven cheek to his square jaw. She pauses momentarily on the smirk playing at his lips. A blush creeps over her cheeks and she realizes she's been caught blatantly checking him out. Oops. She forces her eyes down, focusing on the mahogany table in front of her. Two droids zip into the room, placing a feast of silver platters and full plates onto the table. Ren waves them off dismissively and each one bows before rushing out and leaving them alone once again.

"Help yourself." He nods to the elaborate meal, beginning to fill his plate. She raises a brow and cautiously mirrors his actions, grabbing only for the foods that look remotely familiar.

"Thank you." Her voice is just above a whisper.

The two eat in silence; only the sound of utensils clanking against plates drowning out the tension. His eyes remain locked on her, watching her every delicate move with an intense curiosity. She shrinks under his gaze, mind racing. He's going to kill me. She thinks, creasing her forehead. This is some kind of last meal thing..

"It occurs to me," His deep voice jolts her out of her thoughts. "That i have yet to ask for your name."

"It's Stella." She nips at her bottom lip, almost thankful for the broken silence. "And, um, what am i supposed to call you?"

He disregards the question, leaning his elbows against the table as he pushes his empty plate out of the way. "Stella means star doesn't it?" She nods slowly. "Stella, I'd like to hear more about these 'movies' you described."

"Oh." She hooks her ankles around the legs of her chair and folds her hands in her lap. "Well, i guess there's eight of them now. The first three, well.. the first released, were about Luk-" Stella catches herself, unsure how he will respond to her nonchalant use of their names. He nods for her to continue. "Luke, Han and Leia defeating Darth Vader. The next trilogy was about Anakin and how he became Vader. Now they are on to you and Rey." His eyes glimmer with excitement as his hangs on her every word.

"I mean, they are kind of a big deal." Her shoulders lift into a shrug. "People dress up in costumes for the premieres, and spend an insane amount of money on Star Wars merchandise. My dad went to the first 3 films with his dad when he was young, then took me when i was young. By the release of the next one, I'm sure he'll be taking my baby sister. It's a big part of our family." She smiles warmly at the memories. "I dressed up as Padme 3 years in a row for Halloween and for two of the prequel premieres." A small giggle escapes her lips, muffled by her fingertips as she covers her mouth with her hand.

"My grandmother?"

"Yeah." Stella absentmindedly plays with a lock of hair, eyeing the little bit of split ends. "She was kind of my favorite character growing up. Dad even named his cat after her."

Kylo Ren narrows his eyes, listening closely. His chin rests against his palm. "Why?" He questions the girl across from him, having never heard much about his grandmother.

"I don't know." She bites at her bottom lip. "I always thought Padme was kind of fearless. She was strong and despite all of his flaws, somehow loved Anakin unconditionally. The whole dying of a broken heart bit was a little over the top, but i suppose it made a little bit of sense. She wasn't in the original films so they couldn't really keep the character around." Her rambling continues, explaining to him different stories involving his family. A soft smile quirks at the corners of his mouth as he listens to the girl swoon over the stories like a child telling a fairy tale.

"I never thought of my lineage as interesting to others." He chuckles, leaning back against his chair.

Stella laughs along with him, tucking the hilighted piece of hair she had been toying with behind her ear. "Why am I here, Kylo Ren?" She asks suddenly.

He exhales a deep sigh, standing and pacing back and forth across the dining room. His hands clasp behind his back. "You, my star, have knowledge of things that have yet to happen. You will be an asset to the First Order." Her cheeks flush at the pet name, and she mentally scolds herself.

"Look," She begins, standing up and backing for the exit. Terrified, a pit forms in her stomach, leaving her feeling nauseous. "This darkside stuff is fun and all when it's not real, but I don't think I can help you."

"Hm. And i thought we were getting off on a good note." He pauses, resting his palms on the table as he leans over it. She gulps, completely intimidated by the weight of his stare. "Very well, star. I'll just take what I need from that pretty little head of yours, and dispose of you."

Stella's eyes widen as she rapidly whips her head back and forth. "No!!" She clenches her jaw, disgusted with how pathetic she sounds as she begs for her life. Her fists ball up at her sides, her nails digging crescent moon shaped marks into her palms. "Please.. I, uh, I'll help you."

"Good girl."


	6. Ch 6

_*A/N.. Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm extremely excited about this story and I'm so thrilled that you are enjoying it too. Here's a nice long chapter to say thanks!*_

Kylo Ren briskly walks to the door of his chambers, only pausing for a moment for Stella to catch up behind him. She tugs at the elastic band around his wrist, snapping it against her skin over and over; A nervous habit, he assumes. The pair make their way a short distance down the hall, opposite the way she came, to a set of blaster doors. Her brows raise, unsure of his intentions as he enters a code and opens the doors. The room is small, but larger than her minuscule cell; about the size of the one bedroom apartment she calls home back in her world. Deep mahogany floors cover the span of the room, darkened by the contrasting cream toned walls and hideous navy blue couch in the center of the room. The sight of an actual bed in an adjacent room, blankets tucked precisely over the mattress, almost makes her swoon. Her gaze continues mapping out the entirety of the space, stopping on a large window near what she assumes to be the kitchenette.

Her cool blue eyes brighten in awe of the incredible sight in front of her. The inky black of the galaxy, decorated with shining stars and the incredible colors of planets she has never heard of cause her jaw to slack open. "This is… wow.." She rests a hand against the cold window, unable to form a coherent sentence.

He tilts his head, curiously. "Does it differ that much from where you're from?" If nothing else, the girl is an intriguing distraction.

"Are you kidding?" She whips her head around, grinning ear to ear. "In my world we can barely get passed our moon." A soft chuckle leaves her lips as she returns her attention to the view outside the ship.

He moves to stand next to her, admiring the scene from a different point of view for the first time. The serene look on his features quickly disappears, however, as he shakes his head and stomps back to the entrance of the room. "Well, as you are no longer a prisoner in this ship, these will be your living quarters." He nods sharply, turning on his heel and exits the apartment, leaving Stella alone to process his words.

She manages to tear her eyes away from the window just in time to see the doors shut behind him. The corners of her mouth lift into a smile, excitement flooding her body as she begins to explore the room. Having already seen most of main living room and small kitchenette, she hurries into the bedroom and flings herself against the bed, reveling in the feeling of the soft mattress and warm blankets against her skin. She leans up on her elbows, scanning the bedroom. A closet, a dresser, and empty bookshelf line the otherwise empty walls. She perks up quickly, diving off the bed and into the next set of doors.

"Oh thank god!" She exclaims, pumping her fist in the air at the sight of a real bathroom and a shower inside. Without another thought she begins pressing buttons and turning knobs, cursing at the complicated technology, until the water is exactly the way she likes it. Stella peels away her grimey clothes and steps into the water, sighing in relief as the warmth cascades over her skin. She relaxes her shoulders, feeling the tension release almost instantly and simply stands under the water for a few minutes, enjoying the sensation. Her fingertips trail over the line of bottles in the shower as she reads each one.

'I guess they probably don't have Redken products here.' She giggles, dousing her head in shampoo.

After scrubbing herself from head to toe, finally feeling human once more, she steps out of the shower and wraps herself in a fluffy towel. Her eyes fall on the tiled floor of the bathroom. The clothes she was wearing are not where she left them; tossed haphazardly on the floor.

"Weird.." she murmurs, poking her head out the door and peering around. A droid zips around the room, her clothes in tow. "Excuse me. I need those!" Embarrassment flushes her cheeks as she tugs the towel tighter. The little robot beeps unintelligibly at her and bolts out of the room. A loud groan escapes her throat as she is left alone once again.

Stella trudges into the bedroom and begins scouring the closet and dresser drawers for something to wear. Inside the closet hangs a black pencil skirt, white button up blouse and a black jacket, embellished with the first order symbol; A pair of black pumps rest on the floor. Her brows shoot up and she scoffs. "Oh, he is out of his damn mind if he thinks I'm going to wear that." Mumbling under her breath about how much she hates skirts, she moves on to the dresser. The top drawer contains everything she needs to curl up and go to sleep. She slips the black nightgown over her head, toweling her hair until it's remotely dry and slides under the covers of her bed. Within seconds of hitting the pillow, Stella falls into a dreamless, deep sleep.

Morning comes too quickly for her liking and she tugs the blanket over her head as the little droid from last night whizzes through the room once again. "Five more minutes." She grumbles, her words muffled by the pillow. She allows herself to slip back into a light slumber for another hour or so, not that she has any idea about the time anyway. When she wakes for the second time, the aroma of coffee engulfs her senses, and for a brief moment she is sure she's back home. Stella flings the blankets off of herself, jerking upright, only to be met with the same room she fell asleep in last night. Her face drops into her hands, rubbing her palms against her eyes and gulping back the lump forming in her throat. "This is home now, Stel." She mumbles, inhaling deeply. "You aren't going back."

She lifts her head, realizing the smell of coffee wasn't just in her mind and crawls out of the bed. The cold of the wood floor against her bare feet sends a chill over her body as she makes her way into the main room. Steam rises from the rim of a black (she stifles a laugh at their dedication to the color scheme on this ship.) mug on the kitchen counter. Next to the mug, Stella notices a plate of breakfast waiting for her as well as her own freshly washed clothes and the purse she almost forgot she owned. Ignoring the meal, her hands go directly for the bag and begin digging inside. Everything is still there. Her makeup, planner, wallet, even her cellphone. "Thank you!" She mouths to no one in particular, hurrying to the bathroom with her clothes and makeup.

Stella pulls on her black ripped jeans and teal tank top, foregoing the hooded sweatshirt. 'Not entirely the same outfit I've worn for the last week.' She thinks with a smirk. She smooths out her naturally straight hair with her hands, and applies a little bit of the makeup that was in her bag. With a flick of her wrist, she draws her usual winged liner on each eye and smiles at her appearance in the mirror. Not too bad. She shrugs, unsure why she's even bothering to do all of this. Instinctively, she shoves her phone into the back pocket of her jeans.

The first knock on her door goes unnoticed. She is sure she didn't really hear anything and goes back to the kitchen to eat. Who would be at her door anyway? Kylo would just barge in. Her face twists in irritation at the thought. The second knock is a bit louder, startling her as she stuffs a piece of a muffin in her mouth. With a raised brow, she opens the door to find the lieutenant from the base standing at attention.

"Hello?" She covers her mouth with her hand to hide the mouthful of food.

"General Hux has sent for you, miss." His voice is less than authoritative. How he managed to work his way up through the first order military is beyond her.

Silently she nods and follows the man through the never ending maze of halls that is the Supremacy. The ship seems to be the polar opposite of the expectations planted in her mind from the films. Rather than black walls and dimly lit corridors, it looks more like a typical office space or military base; albeit still very different from any office or base she has ever seen. The Command Bridge, she instantly recognizes it from the massive windows overlooking the odd shape of the crafts wings, is filled with countless officers diligently working. General Hux, his red hair gleaming in the less than flattering lighting, pauses as his lieutenant escorts the girl inside. Stella nods a quiet hello to the man, mentally debating if she should salute him or not.

"Miss..." Hux prompts.

"Oh, uh. Tompkins. Stella Tompkins."

"Miss Tompkins," his hands claps firmly behind his back, shoulders squaring in true military fashion. "Your, shall we say, origins have been explained to me however your motives for remaining on my ship have yet to be mentioned."

"My motives?" She snorts, in the least ladylike fashion possible. "Survival. Plain and simple."

"Hmm." He hums, circling her.

"Do you really have a cat?" She blurts out the question she's been dying to ask since meeting him. He pauses, raising a brow. "There's rumors, I guess, where I'm from that you have a cat. An orange tabby named Millicent. I only ask because I have always had cats and I love them! Actually," she pulls her phone from her pocket and holds it up, showing the lock screen. "See? That's Binx. My baby."

He glances back and forth between her and the strange device in her hands, before grabbing it from her and inspecting it. "What is this? Some kind of customized datapad?"

"Kind of. It's my smartphone. I can send messages on it and photos and play games, listen to music, you name it. My sister practically lives on hers. I can't believe it's not dead. I'm lucky I never turned it on after the movie, I guess!" Her voice cracks a little as she reaches over to the phone, unlocking it with her thumbprint and leaning over him to look at the battery life. "47%. It'll die soon enough. Then there goes any connection to home." Stella's eyes drop, sadness radiating off of her as she quickly locks the device to save the remaining battery.

Looking up from the small electronic, he taps his finger on his lips. The girl, though odd and completely disrespectful to his ranking, tugs at his heartstrings. "I'm certain there is a technician on the ship who could find a way to keep this charged. I'd hate for you to lose the images of 'your baby'" Despite his hard expression, Stella is certain she hears a playful tone in his voice. "I would be quite upset to not see my Millicent again."

Her eyes light up at his confirmation of the cat. "She is real? Can I meet her?" She bounces on her toes.

"Star." Kylo Ren's harsh, modified voice growls over her shoulder. She winces at the sound, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Hux stiffens, pocketing the phone and winking subtly at Stella.

"Ren." He casts a dark glare at the man.

"General, I hope Stella hasn't been bothering you." It's clear to Stella that Kylo Ren knows very well that she didn't come here on her own.

"Not at all." He eyes the girl fondly, knowing exactly how it will affect Kylo. "I happen to agree with your assessment of her. She will be an excellent resource."

Kylo Ren grips her forearm, yanking her out of the command bridge.

"Ow! What the fuck?" She yelps, attempting to jerk away from him.

"There's no need for you to associate with _him_." Kylo spits, dragging her through the halls. He is perfectly content to ignore the fleeting stares of his subordinates, but Stella is mortified.

"And there's no need for you to pull my damn arm out of its socket because you're jealous of _him_!" She retorts, mocking his tone. "You pawned me off on Hux just a couple days ago to go off and get sliced up by a girl and now that I've maybe made a friend on this stupid ship, you're jealous?!"

He remains silent, loosening his grip just enough for her to pull her arm away. She crosses her arms over her chest, huffing indignantly as she walks just a few paces behind.

He halts in front of her door, turning to her and waiting for her to enter the code. Stella rolls her eyes at his lame attempt to make her feel secure. She knows damn well he knows the lock code. The doors fly open and he makes his way inside. Grumbling a smart ass "sure come on in." under her breath, she enters and drops onto her couch, arms crossing over herself again . His hands clasped either side of his helmet, unlatching it and pulling it off of his head.

"You could have warned me about that whole 'getting sliced up' thing, you know." He leers down at her, pointing to the scar across his cheek. Stella purses her lips, strongly considering punching the smug bastard in the stomach.

"You pawned me off on Hux. I believe we already covered that." She scoffs, disgusted with herself for still finding him attractive.

"You'll be starting a job tomorrow, my Star." He tucks the helmet under his arm, changing the subject. His sudden mood swings leave her dizzy and annoyed. "Your uniform is in the closet. I'll send for you in the morning."


	7. Ch 7

After what seems like an hour of fiddling with the device next to her bed, Stella manages to set the alarm (she thinks) for the next morning. Sleep doesn't come as easily this time around. Despite her exhausted body, the anxiety in her mind about what this job could be keeps her wide awake. She tosses and turns late into the night before eventually drifting asleep. The alarm beeps wildly, jolting her awake after a few hours and she groans, slamming her fist against it to shut the damn thing up. This is going to be a long day.

She drags herself out of her bed, keeping the comforter around her as long as possible until she trudges into the bathroom. Her hair isn't awful, despite the lack of products. (She's certain Kylo Ren has products for his hair that he isn't sharing.). She pulls it back into a loose braid, draping the braid over her shoulder and securing it at the end with the hair tie that rarely leaves her wrist. A few pieces fall out around her face and she shrugs, knowing without pins this is as good as it'll get. She applies a little bit of makeup, using it sparingly to make sure it lasts a while, and returns to the bedroom to get dressed. The button down and pencil skirt fit like they were made just for her. Stella tucks the blouse into the high waisted skirt and slides the jacket over her shoulders. Before even acknowledging the shoes, she turns to the full length mirror on her closet door and glares at her appearance.

The blaster doors to her apartment open with a hiss, and uninvited, Kylo Ren enters the living quarters. She rolls her eyes, hearing his heavy boots stomp against the floor. "Ever year of knocking? Oof!" She yells from the bedroom, stumbling back against her bed as she struggles to put the black heels on.

"Are you ready yet?" His voice is masked by the changer in his helmet, leaving him sounding monotone and emotionless.

"No. I'm not wearing this."

"Stella."

"Nope." She pokes her head out of the bedroom door, thankful to have a real door instead of automatic blasters for once. "Kill me instead." Beneath the confines of his helmet, a smirk tugs at the corners of Kylo Ren's lips. A huff of air releases from the mask and she's scoffs. He's laughing at her. "I'm serious! Why do I have a skirt and heels?! I happen to know that women on this ship have uniforms with pants and boots. Give me that uniform."

"Those are reserved for the military officers."

"Sign me up." She grumbles, slipping back into the bedroom and tugging the door closed. Her efforts are wasted however, as Kylo lifts his hand and holds the door open with the force. "I'm not a heels kind of girl, Kylo. I can't even walk in these."

"Come on, Star." He purrs, coaxing her out of the room.

Butterflies swarm her stomach at the nickname and she pinches the skin on her forearm, punishing herself for reacting to it like a schoolgirl with a crush. "Fine." She groans, staggering out to the living room. Her eyes remain locked on her shaking ankles as she stands in front of him, propping a hand on her hip. "Happy?"

Kylo Ren can't help but drop his jaw at the girl. Thankful for his mask, he drags his hungry eyes up her form. The baggy sweatshirt she had arrived in hid the curves that this uniform hugged every inch of. He cocks his head to the side, noticing the art etched into the skin of her left ankle. "You have a tattoo?" He questions, finding his voice once again.

"Hm?" She looks down, almost having forgotten about it. "Oh yeah. I have a couple actually." She turns to the side, giving him a better view of the crescent moon and stars on her ankle. "I have a really big one going up my right thigh and hip, and one on my ribs."

"Hm." He nods, admiring the little design. Just one more intriguing detail about his mysterious Stella. His thoughts darken, wondering what the artwork on her hip looks like. "Come on." He jerks his head up, mentally scolding himself. "You're going to be late."

Stella exhales softly, watching her feet as she staggers in the heels. She manages to make it across the ship without falling and begins to find a rhythm to walking in the damn things. She's positive that Ren is drastically slowing his usual pace to accommodate her and she almost smiles at him, before remembering what a jerk he was the previous night. He leads her to one of the offices she recalls passing yesterday. The clicking of keyboards and hushes voices in the office come to a deadly silence as they enter. The power his very presence commands makes her already weak ankles threaten to give out further.

"Commander Ren." A woman no older than her breaks the silence, inclining her head to Kylo with a bewitching smile. "This must be our new recruit. How kind of you to escort her!" She eyes Stella, lips twitching into a judging scowl at her. Is she honestly flirting right now? Stella squares her shoulders, extending a hand to the woman with all the confidence she can muster and forces a fake smile.

"Stella Tompkins." Her sickeningly sweet voice is new to Kylo and he catches himself laughing beneath his helmet. While there was never a doubt in his mind that she could hold her own, it leaves him swelling with pride to witness. "Pleasure to meet you."

The woman limply shakes her hand. Her unnaturally silver hair sparkles in the fluorescent light of the office, giving her an otherworldly glow. Her eyes are a piercing green, brightened by a coal line drawn around them. Even Stella has to admit that the woman is gorgeous. She finds herself intimidated by the modelesque woman and shrinks back a bit. "Lennox." Even her voice sounds lyrical. "Follow me, I'll get you set up."

More walking. Stella groans internally, attempting to match the speed Lennox sets across the space. Ren remains in the doorway for a moment, eyeing the awkward yet fascinating girl as she tries to fit in to his world.

Lennox leads Stella to an empty desk and begins explaining the basic day to day duties. "In this sector, we process the datachips from the Stormtroopers blasters and submit reports to Captain Phasma." She begins. "You are expected to be in this seat at precisely 0800 hours every morning and remain here until 1700 hours. I do not tolerate tardiness." Her explanation of the job drones on, reminding Stella of her first day as a temp at a law firm. (A job that she kept for a total of 4 days before going insane.) "Do you think you can handle this?" Lennox asks, feigning concern.

With a bitter smile, Stella nods. "Yes ma'am." She begins pressing buttons on the touch screen, following the written training guide to her right and easily falling into the monotony of the desk job.

The hours pass slowly, but 5PM rolls around eventually and she stands from her desk. Tilting her neck side to side to crack the kinks out, Stella follows the crowd of her colleagues out of the office and into the bustling halls. Her feet are throbbing in the unnecessarily tall shoes. She kicks them off, holding the heels in her hand and limps her way back to her quarters.

The doors slide open, and she smacks a palm against her forehead at the sight of Kylo Ren resting against her couch. "You really shouldn't make a habit of this, you know." Stella tosses her shoes aside, almost hoping the heels snap off as they thud against the floor. "People will start to talk."

He shrugs, resting his elbows on his knees as he leans forward. "We have tracked the location of the Resistance ships. Supreme Leader is sending me on a reconnaissance mission for a few days before Hux leads an attack."

She flops onto the couch, as far from him as the loveseat will allow, and kicks her feet up onto the coffee table. Her ankles cross in front of her and her head drops against the back of plush couch. "Oh. You're here for information." She rolls her eyes, hating herself for thinking his visit was anything more. "The movie opens on what I assume is the attack. I can't really tell you what is going to happen on your mission." She rolls her neck to look at him. He stares at her for a moment, searching her eyes for a lie. After a moment he nods and rises from the couch.

"So, you and Lennox huh?" She grins, tossing out the comment nonchalantly before he gets to the door.

"Excuse me?" He sputters, jerking around to face her.

Her palms raise in surrender as she giggles. "Oh come on. It's pretty obvious she is into you. You two have a history or something?" Stella wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Don't get into too much trouble while I'm away, Star." Kylo grunts, turning sharply and leaving before she can catch a glimpse of his reddening cheeks.

She can't help but laugh loudly as he rushes from the room, confirming, in her mind anyway, her suspicions.


	8. Ch 8

The next couple of days go by without any incident. Stella crawls out of bed and leaves for work, falling into the monotony of a daily routine. Three days without Kylo Ren randomly popping into her quarters, or appearing in the hall to torment her has made her extremely bored. With nothing to do in the evenings, Stella has found herself going to bed far too early, only to wake up far too early.

On her fourth day of work, 5 o clock rolls around slower than usual. She almost jumps from her desk at the end of her shift. As she makes her way out of the office, Stella notices the familiar staunch military silhouette of General Hux lingering in the hallway. A smile quirks at her lips as she makes her way out to him.

"Let me guess, someone requested that you check up on me while he's away?"

Hux rolls his eyes. "I'm disappointed that you think so low of me, Miss Tompkins."

"I'm right though, aren't I?" She chuckles, crossing her arms over her chest. He sighs, lips twitching into a sneer as he nods. "Well feel free to pass along that I've only started 3 fires and destroyed two sectors of the ship this week without his overbearing guidance."

"I'll be sure to do that." A ghost of a smirk creeps across Hux's features. "Enjoy your evening, Miss tompkins." He turns on his heel only to be stopped by her hand on his arm.

"Actually, Hux, do you maybe want to hang out tonight?" An awkward laugh escapes her as she quickly withdraws her hand. "I'm bored."

His brows raise, shooting up to his hairline at her dry direct request. For a moment, he mentally weighs the pros and cons, ultimately deciding that it would infuriate Kylo Ren. "I'd be honored." He smiles.

The pair settles up plans before Stella hurries off to her quarters to change. She has zero interest in sitting in Hux's suite wearing her uniform skirt. She tugs a pair of black leggings and a long sleeved, army green tunic from her dresser, still giving no thought as to how whoever stocked this room seemed to know her exact measurements, and quickly pulls them on. Her black and white converse from home feel like heaven beneath her swollen feet as she slides into them. She makes her way back out to the hall, after giving her appearance a quick once over, doing her best to follow Hux's directions.

His quarters aren't too far from hers, she surmises that her own must be located with most of the higher ranking officers as Kylo's are the not far either.

Stella knocks at the door, biting her bottom lip as she begins to wonder if this is a good idea.

The blaster doors hiss open and he ushers her inside with a smile. Nodding a quick hello, despite having just seen him, she enters the suite nearly triple the size of her own.

"Wow." She murmurs, looking around the main room. "Perks of being in charge."

He laughs, placing a hand against her lower back and nudging her forward. "Make yourself at home."

Stella perches on the edge of the couch, absentmindedly toying with the sleeve of her tunic as Hux follows behind her, relaxing against the armchair. Two glasses of wine sit on the coffee table in front of them. "Is this weird?" She blurts after a few seconds of silence. "I didn't mean to make this weird. I just don't really know anyone else."

He grabs his glass from the table, sipping on the dark red liquid inside. "I don't find it 'weird' at all." She nods, not fully believing him and takes a large gulp of her own drink. Her eyes drift across the room, landing on the orange ball of fluff sauntering into the room. Millicent. The cat observes Stella from a distance at first, tail twitching curiously before ambling closer. A smile dances on her lips, affection glowing in her eyes as the cat leaps into her lap, purring happily. Hux shakes his head, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly at the sight. "She likes you." His usual authoritative voice is replaced by a softer, more informal tone.

"My dad used to call me the cat whisperer." Stella strokes the creature lovingly. "We had one when I was a kid who hated everyone except for me. My sisters used to get so jealous when they would visit."

"You mention your father quite often." Hux observes with an amused smile.

"Yeah." She shrugs lightly, keeping her gaze fixed on the ginger cat in her lap. "It was pretty much just me and him for a lot of my childhood. I have a fairly complicated family."

He nods, adjusting in his seat and gesturing for her to continue. Usually this kind of conversation would bore him to tears, but he finds her intriguing. "How so?"

"Well, first of all, my parents are crazy young; They were only 16 when I was born." She begins, scooting back against the couch as she sips her wine. "My mother took her own life about three weeks postpartum, and my Dad and his parents took me in. A couple years after that, I think i was about 2, he apparently hadn't learned about protection," She smirks to herself. "And got another girl pregnant. They got married, had two kids, Brittany and Natalie, my sisters and we were a big happy family all before Dad was 21. Shannon, my sisters mom, left my dad when I was 7 or so and took them away.. I didn't see the two of them for ten or so years, but before Natalie started high school, they moved home. Dad started dating Katherine around that time too. And my baby sister, Luna, was born 4 years ago." Stella looks up at Hux, shrugging as Millicent hops onto the floor and curls up at his feet. "Complicated. What's your story?"

He shakes his head, twisting his face into a grimace. "I have no story."

Realizing she's struck a nerve, Stella quickly changes the subject. "What am I drinking?" She swirls the liquid around in her glass.

"Lothalian Currant wine. One of the only decent exports from Lothal."

The two continue talking late into the night, completely forgetting the initial discomfort. After a few hours, Stella stands, confidence growing from the liquor, and wanders to his bookshelf, eyeing the books. Her fingertips trail over the spines of each book, dragging slowly across each title.

"Most of them are written in basic." He prompts, watching her. "You're welcome to borrow a couple. Combat boredom in the evenings.

"Really?" He bobs his head in response. Yawning quietly, Stella selects a book and nods a thank you.

"Would you like me to escort you to your quarters?" He rises from his seat at the sight of her yawn. "It is getting late."

"No, I can find my way. Thanks Hux."

"Armitage." He corrects.

She smiles brightly, shuffling toward the exit. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She blurts, whirling around just before reaching the blaster doors; Sadness clouds her features. "Once I give you and Kylo some kind of information, everything will change and I'll be worthless to keep around."

"Perhaps." He presses his lips together, frowning. "But I am certain 'worthless' will never be used to describe you. Especially if you are able to provide helpful information."

She snorts at his attempt at flattery. "Thanks Armitage."

"Goodnight Stella."

"Goodnight."

Night creeps into morning and Stella awakens with a loud groan. She buries her face deep into the pillow as hammers pound against the inside of her skull. Apparently, red wine is not her drink. She forces herself out of bed and into the shower; Her usual morning routine. The headache fades to a dull throb as she takes her sweet time getting ready and trudges off to another day of work.

The stares from her coworkers linger a bit longer than usual today. She surmises that she must look as bad as she feels. As she make her way over to the coffee pot (it's been screaming her name all morning.) she overhears the whispers of two women.

"I heard she spent the night with Hux last night."

"No, I heard he kicked her out of bed."

Stella clenches her jaw tightly, too hungover to care about their petty rumors. She straightens her shoulders, holding her head high and saunters into the small break room as though she owns the place. The whispers stop abruptly, both women turning to stare at her, as she pours herself a cup of coffee.

"Have a nice day, ladies." She forces a smile, her most sickeningly sweet, and exits with her drink.

She drops into her seat, staring daggers at the pile of paperwork on her desk.

"If looks could kill.." The only friend she's managed to make in this office, her deskmate Brynn, mock shivers. "What's wrong with you, new girl?"

Stella shakes her head, doing her best to shove the thoughts of those women out of her mind. "Nothing." She snaps, a bit more clipped than she meant to. She exhales softly, taking a big gulp of coffee. "Just tired."

Brynn shrugs, raising her palms in surrender. "Whatever you say."

"Sorry. It's just been a long morning."

"Would an early lunch help?" She smiles, standing up from her desk.

Stella laughs, nodding and following the short blonde out of the office and toward the cafeteria. The girls scan the crowded room, hunting for an open table after filling their trays.

"So, want to talk about it?" Brynn asks as the two find seats.

"Really it's no-"

"Did you hear about the new girl?" Stella flinches, stopping mid sentence as she overhears a male officer at the next table. Not again..

"The general's whore? Of course. Everyone is talking about it." Another responds.

"Ignore them, Stel." Brynn whispers, shooting an icy glare at the men. This is worse than high school! Stella balls her hands into fists, standing from her seat and moving toward the group.

"I thought she belonged to Kylo Ren? His prisoner from Starkiller." A third chimes in.

"Must be good to be on top, huh?" The three men laugh loudly, blatantly ignoring her presence. Her lips twitch into a snarl and she shoves the shoulder of the first man to face her. The other two seem to shrink back, eyes widening as Kylo Ren enters the room just out of Stella's line of sight.

"What?" She growls at their silence. "Nothing to say to my face? Come on, tough guys!"

"Stella, drop it…" Brynn warns in a harsh whisper.

"No. I want to hear him say it to my face."

"Say what, sweetheart?" The man mocks, a cocksure smirk spreading across his features. He stands, sizing Stella up. He's at least 6 inches taller than her, but she doesn't back down. "That you're a whore?"

The rage building inside Stella's viens finally reaches its boiling point. She cocks her fist back and slams it against his nose. As her knuckles smash against his nose, she feels the weak bones crumble beneath it. His hands fly to his face, staggering back at the sight of blood on his fingertips. Anger thunders through her, and despite already causing damage, she advances on him again. This time she brings up her knee, colliding it with his stomach. He doubles over in agony, groaning loudly. Before she can propel herself at him a third time, two sets of hands grasp her upper arms, ripping her away. Stella spits at the bloody mess of a man on the ground as two stormtroopers hold her back.

"Take her to my chambers." Kylo Ren maintains a cool tone, despite the mixture of emotions rifling through him. "And get him to the medbay."


	9. Ch 9

A cocktail of anger and embarrassment pulses through Stella as she digs into the cupboards of Kylo Ren's kitchen. There has to be liquor in here somewhere. She faintly smiles and grasps the first bottle she sees, not bothering to look at what it is. Her hands are still trembling with adrenaline as she pours the amber liquid into a glass and tosses it back. It burns the back of her throat, sending a chill down her spine. A good burn. She downs another shot like it's nothing, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

His footsteps are heavy against the floor, signaling his entrance into the apartment.

"Welcome back." Stella grumbles, holding up the bottle as she leans against his dining table. A mirthless laugh escapes her lips. "This is what you meant by stay out of trouble, right?"

"What are you drinking?" His helmet masks any emotion in his voice, but she's sure that he's not happy.

"I went through your stuff." She tilts the bottle up to her lips, pouring a shot down her throat. Her eyes squeeze shut in response to the strong liquor. "It's disgusting."

"Do you plan on sharing?" Ren tilts his head, unlatching his helmet and sliding it off.

"That depends. Do you plan on yelling at me for breaking that asshole's nose?"

He smirks, setting the black and silver helmet aside and advancing on her. He snatches the bottle from her hands, ignoring the pout on her lips and pours himself a shot. "Far from it, star. You have quite the right hook."

A grin lights up her face, wrinkling the corners of her now glazed over eyes. She curtsies with a giggle before ripping the bottle out of his gloved hand and knocking it against his now empty glass. He shakes his head, amused by the intoxicated girl.

Stella and Kylo continue to fight for control of the bottle of liquor, both draining their glasses far too easily. As the adrenaline wears off and alcohol takes over, she can't seem to shut up. She paces back and forth across his quarters.

"I mean, it's fucking ridiculous right?" She slurs, whirling around to face him as he sits at his dining room table. "This place is like high school. I show up and happen to have conversations with two men and suddenly I'm being ostracized like some kind of hooker or something!" He simply nods, drumming his fingers on the table as he allows her to ramble on. "I probably overreacted…" She pauses, taking another gulp directly from the bottle. "Or maybe I didn't. Fuck that guy. Hux's head is going to explode when he finds out." She tosses her head back, giggling drunkenly. "You're welcome."

"I think you've had more than enough, Star."

"Have you seen Rey yet? Probably not. The unless I missed the whole dreadnought attack." Her voice trails off, mentally replaying the last week in her head.

His brows furrow in confusion. "We'll come back to that dreadnought attack comment later." Kylo stands, moving closer to her as she absentmindedly twirls in circles, making herself dizzy. "What do you mean have I seen Rey?"

"Force Skype." Stella snorts, knowing full well in her blurry state of mind that he will have no idea what that means. "She's with Luke. And you're here." Her forehead creases. "Well, you're not here. You're with a droid, fixing that." Stella gestures to the black bandages across his face. "And you two see each other. And then you do this thing.." She howls with laughter, running toward him and mimicking how he slides on the floor. Her feet don't slide as well as she planned and she stumbles, falling against his broad chest. He catches her without even flinching.

"Oops?" She smiles innocently, trailing her eyes up from his arms to his lips. Stella drags her tongue across her bottom lip before sucking it in and gently biting it. His eyes darken, heart slamming against his chest as he watches her subconscious movements.

Liquid courage kicks in and Stella leans up on her tiptoes, crashing her lips against his. Her arms drape over his shoulders, twisting into the untamed locks of his hair. He returns the kiss with an equal passion and hunger, sliding his hands down her sides and resting on her lower back. She pushes her body closer against him, only to have the kiss broken. He releases his grasp on her, allowing her arms to drop heavily at her sides.

"Stella.." He begins, dragging a hand through his hair and steadying his ragged breathing.

"Oh come on, Kylo. Everyone already thinks we have. Might as well give them something to actually talk about!" She winks with a sultry grin.

"Stella, you're inebriated."

"What a gentleman." She mocks, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes. "You're just too busy thinking about Rey. Or Lennox!" Her voice raises as her eyes cloud over. Stella tries to reach for her shoes but misses them completely and begins to fall. "The earth girl just isn't good enough for mister supreme leader's standards!"

"Star.." He warns, irritation laced in his tone. He grips her elbow as she stumbles again.

"Whatever." She rips her arm from his hold and marches toward the door, only to be stopped in her tracks, paralyzed to the floor. Kylo holds her in place with the force, grumbling under his breath about what a mess she is. He flicks his wrist nonchalantly, catching the unconscious girl as she falls limp into his waiting arms.

The black satin sheets surround her aching body as a wave of nausea washes over her, waking her from her slumber. Stella blinks her eyes open slowly, wincing at the headache pounding away at her forehead. She rubs her eyes, flinching at the rough texture of cloth wrapped around her knuckles. She squints, eyeing the bandages. A loud groan emits from the back of her throat as memories of the previous day flow through her mind.

She sits up, slowly as the room spins around her, in the bed and notices a glass of water on the bedside table. Stella rests the back of her head on the dark headboard, reveling in the feeling of the cool liquid as it soothes her raw throat.

Overhearing pathetic whimpers from his bedroom, Kylo Ren steps into the room. He leans a casually against the door frame, eyeing the mess of a girl in his bed. She smacks his pillow against her face and moans again.

"Don't look at me." She whines. He can see the embarrassment reddening her cheeks as she slowly lowers the pillow and peaks up at him. "I'm so sorry. I made such a huge ass out of myself."

Silently, Ren advances on her. He tugs the pillow out of her hands, leaning it against the headboard and takes a seat next to her on the mattress. "You did."

She exhales loudly, pressing her palm against her throbbing forehead. She inches away, too traumatized by her own actions to be near him."I suppose I'm probably fired too, huh?"

"Yes."

"Yeah." She blows out her cheeks. "Sorry."

"From now on, you'll report directly to me." He casts a sideways glance at her. Her head jerks up, (she instantly regrets the quick movement and clenches her jaw in pain.) eyes widening as she meets his gaze.

"Seriously?"

"As long as you have gotten that little episode last night out of your system," He begins, smirking as she bobs her head wildly. "You'll be my advisor."

Stella can't help but roll her eyes, remembering his choice of words the first time he dumped her on Hux. "And what will that entail?" She bites her bottom lip, concern, or maybe nausea, pitting in her stomach. "I told you once before, I'm not sure about this whole Darkside thing."

Kylo huffs, gripping her shoulders and forcing her to face him. "I saw the rage behind your eyes last night, my star. I can help you harness that anger. You are more like me than you wish to admit. Just let go."

She gulps, pushing out the alarm bells sounding in her mind. The phrase 'Stockholm syndrome' rests heavily on the tip of her tongue but she loses herself in the chocolate eyes boring into her. "O-ok. I'll do it."


	10. Ch 10

_***a/n…I'm well aware that Kylo Ren was not on the bridge during the dreadnought attack and Hux lead it from the Finalizer, but I'm taking some creative liberties here. Sue me. Also, speaking of creative liberties.. if you don't know the Legends stories, you may be a bit confused throughout this chapter. I'm incorporating a character that I adore but has not (and probably will not) ever be considered 'canon'. Enjoy!!***_

The job of Kylo Ren's advisor is clearly just a ploy for him to keep his eye on Stella, rather than allowing her access to the ship by herself. She rolls her eyes, fully convinced that he used some Jedi mind trick to get her to agree to this. She stares at her appearance in the full length mirror of her bedroom, fluffing her hair up a bit. If they want to call her a whore, she is going to own it. She pulls a tube of blood red lipstick from her purse and swipes it over her lips, smacking them together. With a grin, she blows her reflection a kiss. This looks more like the Stella she knows. Instead of the ridiculous skirt and pumps, she is wearing a pair of skin tight black pants and black knee high combat boots. They have a small heel on them, much to her dismay, but even she has to admit they look amazing paired with a simple black tank top and her first order jacket.

Kylo Ren exits his suite, helmet firmly in place, just in time to see Stella making her way through the corridor. She spins around to show off her appearance, smirking confidently as he observes her.

"If I had known that all I had to do to get rid of those shoes was punch someone, I wouldn't have waited a week."

He grabs her wrist, yanking the girl into his quarters. Her eyes narrow as she looks up at the silver slits of his mask. His fists clench and release at his sides, imagining himself pouncing on her right there and smudging that damn lipstick. In a flash, he pins Stella back against the wall, holding her wrists above her head in one hand and tilting her chin up to face him with the other. She makes no attempt to struggle away, shocked by his sudden actions. His mask leers down at her just inches from her face."I will not tolerate your little comments while I am in the presence of my subordinates. You will do exactly as I say today. And you will only refer to me as Commander. Am I clear?" In her time here, she has almost forgotten how truly frightening this man can be. She swallows hard, nodding silently. "I want to hear an answer." He purrs, dragging his thumb over her jawline. "Am I clear?"

"Y-yes commander." She stammers, finally finding her voice.

"Good girl." He drops her wrists, turning on his heel and striding out of the suite. She glares at the back of his head, smoothing out her jacket and following behind him. Kylo grins to himself beneath the helmet. It's about time she learned her place.

Stella remains a few paces behind him, taking note of how quickly everyone avoids her eyes now. She jutts her chin out, proudly, pretending it is because of her right hook and not the black clad monster in front of her.

"Stella," Hux greets her far too cheerfully as they descend on the ship's main bridge. "Done beating up my employees?" His lips twitch into a faint smirk.

"No promises, General." She mirrors his expression, ignoring the indignant huff from Kylo Ren.

The ships lurch out of light speed, propelling the very uncoordinated and not used to this kind of movement girl off of her feet. She stumbles forward, into Hux. He barely reacts, very aware of the onlooking command bridge. As she corrects her stance, finding her footing and mumbling a hushed "sorry" to the general, she quickly retreats to Kylo Ren's side. He stares out the ships windows, eyeing the fleeing resistance ships.

"The two of you seem rather well acquainted." His eyes remain locked forward as his voice rumbles through the helmet.

"Are we really doing this again?" Stella groans, propping a hand on her hip. "Starkiller Base. That's all I'm going to say." He tilts his head, eyes boring into her through their mask. "Uh.. commander." She corrects, slinking away from him.

"Tell Captain Canaday to prime his dreadnought." Hux bellows through the bridge. Stella's head jerks toward him, eyes widening. "Incinerate their base, destroy their transports, and obliterate their fleet."

Kylo grips her shoulder tightly, allowing the tendrils of his power to snap their way into her mind. She winces at the intrusion, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Her thoughts play out the scene in front of them, down to Hux's exact words. He watches in her mind until he's satisfied with the knowledge and releases her. She peers up at him as though waiting for him to give the General some warning.

"General," A female officer calls, startling Stella out of her thoughts. "Resistance ship approaching. Guns and shields in attack mode."

Hux marches to her screen, furrowing his brows as he examines the small blip inching across. "A single light fighter?" He turns toward Stella in search of some explanation. Before she can open her mouth to speak, the grip on her shoulder tightens.

"Stay quiet." Ren's deep voice pulses through her mind. She feins confusion, shrugging at Hux. As he returns his attention to the screen, she twists her head sharply toward Kylo, rolling her shoulders to jerk away from his grasp.

"Why aren't you telling him? You can stop this!" She hisses, keeping her voice just above a whisper.

"Stay. Quiet." He repeats, out loud this time, punctuating each word harshly.

"This is Commander Poe Dameron of the Republic fleet." Poe's voice echoes through the loudspeaker. "I have an urgent communique for General Hugs." (Despite her frustration with Kylo, Stella can't help but stifle a laugh at the name.)

"Patch him through." Hux orders, clasping his hands behind his back and taking a commanding stance. "This is General Hux of the First Order. The Republic is no more. Your fleet are Rebel scum and war criminals. Tell your precious princess there will be no terms, there will be no surren-"

"Hi, I'm holding for General Hugs?" Poe interrupts. Ren snickers beneath his mask, enjoying this far more than he should. Stella rolls her eyes. Men.

"This is Hux." He heavily emphasizes the X sound as he begins pacing. "You and your friends are doomed. We will wipe your filth from the galaxy!"

"Ok I'll hold."

"Hello?" Hux raises a brow, eyeing a First Order officer as he frantically tries to find the error in this communication. "Can he hear me?" He snaps, becoming increasingly irritated.

"I believe he's tooling with you, General." Kylo interjects, smugly.

"Look, I can't hold forever. If you reach him, tell him Leia has an urgent message for him about his mother."

The rage and confusion building up inside of Hux begins to show on his usually pale face. Redness flushed his cheeks as a snarl twitches across his lips. "Open fire!" He slams his fist against a control panel, barking out orders.

Stella squeaks, clasping her hands over her mouth as the X Wing blasts at full speed toward the First Order's war ship. She tries to turn away from the large window, only to be stopped by Kylo Ren. His rough gloves scratch the back of her neck as he holds her head forward, facing the destruction. She flinches at the sight of ships carrying real people, no longer fictional characters, exploding in front of her eyes. Tears begin welling up as the bombers are destroyed one by one. Her mind races, disgusted by the creature beside her. He knew this would happen and said nothing. She swallows the hardening lump in the back of her throat, a fresh wave of terror pulsing through her veins.

Just before the final bomber releases its supply, effectively vaporizing the Dreadnought, Ren stalks out of the bridge, yanking his horrified advisor behind him.

"How are you so heartless?!" She shrieks, allowing the flood of tears to roll down her cheeks as the pair come to a halt in front of a line of cylindrical elevators. His shoulders visibly tense. "You saw what was coming in my mind. You let your own men die! For what?! To see Hux humiliated?!"

Keeping his back to her, he presses the elevator button. "I have been lenient with your outbursts so far, Stella. Do not test me." His deadpan tone only frustrates her more. "You're dismissed for the day." Without a second glance, he disappears into the upper levels of the Supremacy.

She grinds her teeth, jaw twitching with fury as she bites back any further comments. Whirling around, Stella storms away from him and directly to her quarters. "I can't do this." She casts her eyes upward, yelling to whatever brought her to this hell, the moment she is alone inside. "I'm not strong enough for this." She collapses against her bed, burying her face against the pillow as sobs rifle through her. "Please.." She whimpers. "Please just send me home."

"Is that what you honestly want?" A female voice rings out through the room she had assumed was empty. Stella freezes, lifting her head painstakingly slow from the pillow. She gulps as a distorted, almost glowing, red haired woman leans against her bookshelf.

"Who.. wha..?" Stella blinks rapidly, her skin whitening as she eyes the apparition. "Who are you?"

"The reason you are here." The woman shrugs nonchalantly.

"That's not much of an answer." She mumbles, pursing her lips and hugging her arms tightly around herself. "Are you going to send me home? What was the point of all this?"

The woman sighs, tossing her vibrant hair over her shoulder. "I didn't think you would be the type to give up so easily."

"Again, not an answer!" The volume of Stella's voice raises as she grows frustrated.

"My name is Mara Jade Skywalker. Your world has essentially dismissed my existence, so I'm not surprised to hear you have no knowledge of me." She begins. As if in a dream, the walls around them begin to melt away and reveal a new set of surroundings. "Much like my nephew, I was seduced by the darkside."

Stella jumps to her feet, beginning to feel a bit too 'Christmas Carol' for her tastes, and watches the scene play out in front of her.

 _Her violet lightsaber, a mirror image of the crystal Stella found on her car, pulses electricity through the air as she impales a dark skinned creature bearing a white crystal on its head. Mara drops the lifeless body to the ground and exhales deeply._

 _"Master.." Her lyrical voice calls out, though her lips never move. "Dequc is finished." She is met with only silence. Again, she closes her eyes, reaching out into the force. The image of Emperor Palpatine falling to his demise at the hands of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader flashes in her mind and her eyes fly open. "You will kill Luke Skywalker." His gravelly voice croaks out, reverberating through their Force link._

 _Mara falls to her knees, traumatized at the sight of her master's death. Agony rips through her as she clenches her fists tightly at her sides, pounding them against the ground. She will destroy Luke Skywalker._

A flash of light shoots between Stella and the apparition, just enough to pull her from the memory. "I thought Palpatine only had one apprentice." She shakes her head.

"The stories change over time as they were passed through your world, however I wasn't his apprentice, Stella. I was his assassin. His prized killer."

"But you didn't kill Luke.." Her forehead creases, confusion written across her face.

"No. His presence alone was enough to pull me back to the light. I married him." Mara smiles warmly, her emerald eyes sparkling with delight at the memory.

Stella drags a hand through her hair, still trying to process what is happening. As if being thrown into a different galaxy wasn't enough. A realization dawns on her. "You're a force ghost. Kylo killed you when he destroyed the temple, didn't he.." It comes out as more of a statement than a question. "That's the real reason Luke went off to die alone." Mara simply nods. She bites her bottom lip. "Can we skip ahead to how any of this remotely involves me? And how I can go home?"

Mara exhales deeply. "Who, in all of the stories you have seen in your world, is the person that stands out prominently in your mind?"

Stella lifts her shoulders in a half shrug. "Padme, I guess."

"Why?"

"Because she would have done anything to save Anakin and wasn't some damsel in distress."

The copper haired woman nods, stepping closer to Stella. "You share Padme's fighting spirit. Ben can be saved. And Rey, despite her best efforts, will not be the one to do it. She would let him die. I'm asking you to help my nephew."

"What?!" Practically jumping away from the ghost in front of her, Stella's brows shoot to her hairline. "Oh come on. That's not... I can't.. I'm not even.." she gestures with her hands, mirroring Kylo's stance while using the force. "What about my family?"

"I never said this would be an easy task."

Stella chokes back a new flood of tears. "What if I fail?"

"Don't give up on him just yet, Stella. Or yourself."


	11. Ch 11

The unmistakable sound of TIE fighters blasting through the galaxy distracts Stella. She whirls around, hurrying to her window just in time to see the group begin their attack on the Resistance fleet. She blows her cheeks out with a deep exhale. "Mara, wha-" Stella stops, glancing over her shoulder and finding the room behind her completely empty. Rubbing her temples with her fingertips, she allows her head to drop to her chest. "I've gone completely insane." She mumbles.

Every emotion possible, ranging from excited to terrified and anything in between, ripples through Stella's mind at once. The idea of redemption for Ben Solo seems so impossible to her, but then again, is anything impossible at this point? She bites her lip, flopping back against her bed and staring at the ceiling. Why would she, a nobody with no force sensitivity who isn't even from this world, be able to ever convince him that the light isn't gone from inside of him? "His own father couldn't do it." She murmurs out loud, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows.

"You share Padme's fighting spirit.." Mara's voice echoes through her mind and she shakes her head. No, Padme didn't have to save someone she can barely hold a conversation with. This isn't the same. Stella groans, burying her face in a pillow and squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to silence her rampaging thoughts. Exhausted from the mental strain of her day, she quickly falls into a deep, dreamless sleep the moment her eyes close.

Hours later, the small cleaning droid zips through her room, waking her with a start. It's been since her first day on this ship since she's seen the robot. "Oh god." She hisses, jerking upward and reaching for the alarm next to her bed. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck." Stella repeats, flinging herself off the mattress and into the bathroom. "I'm so late."

She smooths out her clothes, having fallen asleep in her uniform, and throws her hair into a quick braid. Her makeup is smeared across her face, mascara tears streak her cheeks and her lipstick gives her a clown like appearance. If she wasn't so late, Stella might find her current state pretty funny. She scrubs her skin clean, foregoing putting anything more on and bolts for the door. Kylo is sure to be infuriated with her for this, as if yesterday wasn't enough to piss him off.

In an all out sprint, Stella first checks the command bridge. Hux cocks a brow at her entrance. "Have you seen Kyl- I mean um, Commander Ren?" She's almost embarrassed at how out of breath she already is.

"Not since his fighter returned to the main hangar." Hux shakes his head. She retreats from the bridge, yelling a quick 'thank you' over her shoulder as she rushes down to the hangars.

She bounces on her toes as she waits for the elevator to creep down to her level in the ship, grumbling about how she doesn't have time for all this. Finally, the doors hiss open with a burst of air, revealing the black and white lit interior. Her eyes drop to the floor, a pit forming in her stomach at the sight of Kylo Ren's destroyed mask. As she crouches down, trailing her fingertips over the helmet and dragging her gaze over the damage his fist did to the walls, a heavy feeling of regret washes over her. He's more broken than he lets on. She jumps to her feet, turning sharply on her heel only to slam into an approaching officer.

"Stella?" Brynn rubs her forehead as she backs away from the hurried girl. Stella's eyes widen, instantly recognizing her once coworkers voice.

"Brynn, I'm so sorry." She rubs her own throbbing head. "I wasn't looking."

"Gods Stella!" The blonde exclaims, flinging her arms around Stella's neck and pulling her into a hug. "I was sure you were dead!"

"Dead?" Her brows furrow, forgetting her earlier panic to find Ren. "Why would I be dead?"

"After the… incident… Commander Ren killed that guy. He choked him. I thought for sure he.. you.. I'm just so glad to see you!"

Stella creases her forehead, her gaze dropping to the tiled floor. "He killed him." She repeats in a whisper. "Because of me.. Maybe Mara was right about all of this." Her eyes meet Brynns, electrified with a newfound sense of urgency as a realization dawns on her. The force bond. "Can you show me where the medical wing, or medbay, whatever you call it is?"

Brynn nods sharply, smart enough not to question anything right now, and gestures for Stella to follow. They jog through the Supremacy's massive layout, twisting and turning with the black lined hall. She squeezes her friends hand, silently thanking her as the medbay doors fly open. Brynn gives her most encouraging smile, nudging her over the threshold.

Stella's eyes dart around, searching for any sign of his presence. She spots a medical droid scurrying from an examination room, and pops up on her tiptoes to sneak a view before the door slams shut. Kylo Ren, paces the floor, mumbling and cursing under his breath. He swipes his hand across a metal tray, sending it flying into the wall. She moves to the door, knocking softly.

"You saw her, didn't you?" Stella's voice is quiet. Something stirs inside of her, and she mentally kicks herself for the butterflies that always seem to flutter when she lays eyes on him. His jaw twitches as his dark eyes find hers.

"She's with Skywalker." His hands ball into fists at his sides.

"Did you do the thing?" She can't help but grin as she slides into the room, mocking both his actions and her previous drunken attempt.

Kylo scowls, bumping her shoulder as he pushes passed her and out of the automatic doors. Fighting the hedge to roll her eyes, Stella follows close behind. "Are you completely incapable of being serious?" He grunts as she catches up.

"No." She shrugs. "But you're acting like this is the end of the world. It's a little pathetic." He freezes at her words, casting a dark glare over his shoulder as she catches herself from running into him.

"After your meltdown yesterday, I don't believe you're qualified to call anyone 'pathetic." He growls.

She tucks a stray hair behind her ear, gulping down the sudden nervousness inside of her.. "Kylo, tell me why it's so important to you to end the Jedi." Stella dares to step closer to him, resting a hand on his upper arm. He yanks his arm away, leering down at his far-too-comfortable-with-him subordinate. A huff of air releases from his tightening chest as he stalks off to his chambers.

"I never said this would be an easy task.." Mara's words repeat in her memory.

"Yeah yeah, I heard you." Stella hisses under her breath before ambling after him.

She manages to slip through the doors of his suite before they can slam in her face. She knows very well that he could easily remove her from his private living quarters, and grows more confident as he simply ignores her presence. He rests against the stark black, and incredibly elegant couch, leaning his elbows on his knees. His eyes, void of any emotion, fixate on the ground.

"She's not dead, you know." Stella inches further into the room.

"I'm well aware that the scavenger is still breathing, Star." He snaps, grinding his teeth together.

This time, she doesn't bother to fight it and rolls her eyes. "No, dummy. Your mother. Leia. You hesitated and another pilot destroyed their bridge. But Leia survived."

His stare remains locked on the floor, giving her no visible reaction to the statement. "I have no mother." His tone is cold enough to send a chill down Stella's spine.

Propping her hands on her hips, she sighs at his stubbornness. "Right. You just popped out of the bowels of hell one day, ready for this darkside nonsense."

"I think it's time for you to leave." Ren thrusts his hand forward, gripping an invisible hand around her throat and squeezing tightly.

"I think it's time for you to have an actual conversation with someone who cares about you about the shit going on in your head!" She manages to choke out as her airways constrict.

He rises from his seat, never breaking the icy glare that glazed over his eyes. His hold around her neck releases and she doubles over, resting her hands on her kneecaps and breathing deeply. In a flash, his lightsaber is unclipped and ignited. He points the weapon at her, advancing until its only inches from her neck. She swallows hard, stiffening as the proximity sears her skin, but manages (barely) to maintain a confident, unafraid mask over her features. Despite sensing the fear dripping off of her, Ren finds himself furious at her lack of response to his threat. He whirls the weapon around, slicing into the wall next to her head, over and over again. Her lips tremble, but she never flinches. A roar of pure anger reverberates from his chest, piercing Stella's ears like a clap of thunder as he releases the sword from his tight grip, and collapses onto the floor in front of her. His face drops into his hands, shoulders rising and falling rapidly with heavy breaths.

Stella pauses, completely dumbfounded. She watches the Kylo Ren break down at her feet in a way she's certain he never has before. Her breathing is shaky as she dares to kneel next to him, and cautiously rests her hand on his back. To her surprise, he doesn't instantly pull away from her touch and she begins gently tracing circles with her fingertips across his tightly knotted shoulders. He casts a sideways glance at her. The pain and agony ripping through him, tearing him apart, is written all over his face. Stella's hand moves up into his hair, twirling her fingers in the curls at the base of his neck. Her usually racing mind stills as he leans into her touch.

The silence that hangs between them is comfortable, almost peaceful. He revels in the warmth of her body so close to his, and her smooth skin against his neck. A close to inaudible sigh escapes his lungs as his a fresh energy fills him. Her presence seems to calm his conflicted mind, and quiet the demons inside of him. Across the room, interrupting the intimate moment, his datapad beeps, signaling an incoming message.

"Kriff." He mumbles, staring daggers at the electronic. The corners of her lips lift slightly.

"I'll give you some privacy." Stella shifts her weight off of her knees and pulls herself to her feet. Kylo jumps up, grasping her hand to stop her from leaving.

"No. Stay. Please."


	12. Ch 12

***A/N... Getting a bit too serious up in here. How about some fluff to brighten your day!***

Kylo Ren's datapad beeps a second time, earning an irritated groan. He trudges across the room, snatching the electronic and trailing his eyes over the messages. A silver glint out of the corner of Stella's eye catches her attention and she turns to see his lightsaber hilt on the ground near her feet. She steps forward, reaching her hand out to pick the weapon up. Just before her fingertips graze the metal, it lifts from the ground, hovering for a moment and drops again. Her eyes bulge out of her skull as she jumps backwards. Stella whips her head around, checking to see if he had witnessed whatever that was.

Though his eyes are still locked on the screen in his hands, a smirk plays at his lips. She growls, realizing he was messing with her.

"That was mean." She grumbles, carefully picking up the weapon.

"I'm not sure what you mean, my star." Kylo Ren grins, lifting his eyes to meet hers. He can't help but chuckle at the scowl on her face. Her eyes roll back, fighting a laugh at his quick mood change. She examines the lightsaber, trailing her fingers over the sword as she tests the weight of it in her palm. He places the datapad back on the table, crossing his arms over his chest as he observes her. "Perhaps it's time you begin training to use a weapon of your own. Especially since you've already proven yourself quite adept at hand to hand combat."

"Ha. Ha." She mock laughs. "Why would I need a weapon, anyway?"

"You're the one who knows what's coming. You tell me."

"But lightsabers are a force thing." She raises a brow.

"Blasters aren't." Kylo shrugs. "I'm certain Phasma would be willing to train you to use one."

"Because she, like everyone else on this ship, is terrified of you?" Stella passes the lightsaber to him, only briefly growing nervous upon realizing she has just put herself in the exact position Han Solo was in when he was killed. His jaw twitches, sensing the flash of fear in her, as he clips the weapon to his belt.

"Yes. Well. Let's have a chat with Phasma's commanding officer and set up some training." His voice falters from playful to the usual cool, deadpan tone. She simply nods, biting at her bottom lip. He definitely noticed that momentary panic.

The two make their way through the ship, silence between them once again. The command bridge is their first stop, instantly spotting General Hux and Captain Phasma. "Good timing." Stella mumbles to a smirking Kylo Ren.

"Hux, Phasma." Ren bellows, commanding their attention as he and Stella come to a halt in front of them. Stella finds herself feeling incredibly short as her 5'4 frame barely reaches the chests of each of them. "Stella needs to carry a weapon. I believe Phasma should train her."

Hux cocks a brow, considering the request. "And why can't you train her, Ren? Surely, there's no need to involve my military in training a civilian to shoot a blaster."

"I disagree." Phasma interrupts her commanding officers. "While I have no interest in taking time out of my day to work with.. this." She gestures to the short girl in front of her. "If she is to use a weapon, it should be properly taught." Stella can't help but notice the begrudging tone in her voice and scoffs. "Tomorrow. 0600 hours in the training center. Do not be late."

Stella nods, eyes twinkling with excitement as Phasma inclines her head to her superiors and exits the bridge. Her heavy armored footsteps echo through the room as she leaves. Ren, pleased with the outcome, turns on his heel.

"Stella." Hux grasps her arm before she can follow. "Before you go.." his hand dips into the pocket of his jacket, retrieving a familiar rose gold phone with a new black device attached to the back and passing it to her. She smiles brightly, eyes darting between him and the electronic in her hands.

"It's charged?"

Hux nods once, the corner of his lip lifting into a tight smile. Stella flings her arms around him, unable to control her reaction. He stiffens in response to her hug, only returning it with a smirk as he catches the jealous flame in Kylo Ren's darkening eyes.

"Thank you!" She squeals, releasing him and holding the phone close to her chest. "You don't know what this means to me."

"Star, come." Ren commands, a taut growl in his voice. With a few more whispered "thank you"'s, Stella does as she's told and skips behind Kylo Ren. In her overwhelming joy, she doesn't even notice the clenched fists at his sides as they return to the barracks, directly to her door. She barely looks up from the phone, an infectious smile on her face as she punches the lock code in her door. His jealousy melts away in a heartbeat at the sight of her jubilance.

"What exactly did the general return to you?" He peers over her shoulder, following her through the door. She drops on the couch, patting the seat beside her.

"Come'ere!" The silvery tone of her voice draws him in and he drops next to her. "It's my phone! Look, i can play music," she clicks open an app and choses a song, bobbing her head as Lady Gaga blasts through the speakers. Pausing the song, she clicks open another app. "And send messages. Although I wouldn't have any service here so that's kind of pointless. And take pictures!" Her camera roll pops open on the bright screen, revealing multiple albums of photos.

"Look." She laughs melodically, zooming in on one particular picture. The smiling faces of her family appear on the screen, each wearing different costumes. "Halloween this year. See," she points to each person. "That's my dad as Han Solo, his wife as Leia, my little sister Brittany as Padme, her fiancé as Chewbacca. He's the only tall one in the family so he didn't get to choose his costume." Stella explains with a snort. "Natalie is the stormtrooper and her boyfriend was Boba Fett. Then there's little Luna as Rey and me as Vader."

He tugs the device out of her hands, mirroring her movements to zoom in on each person in the photo. "And Halloween is what?"

"Oh." She shakes her head, forgetting he probably has no idea about most of her world's holidays and traditions. "It's a silly holiday back home. All Hallows' eve. People dress up and eat candy. It's our family's favorite holiday."

"You're the only one without a companion." His observation sounds more like a question, and Stella shrugs, taking the phone back and continuing scrolling through the pictures.

"Never had much luck with dating, I guess." She pauses on another photo of the day Brittany got engaged. A sad smile creeps over her features. "I always seem to mess things up before it gets serious."

"Hmm." He hums, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "The men on your planet must be imbeciles." A crimson blush flushes her cheeks as joy warms her from within. She shifts against him, fitting her body perfectly against his and continuing to scroll through the phone.

With every photo, comes another story. Kylo listens intently, genuinely interested in each anecdote and explanation of her life before his world. She fights with herself mentally, enjoying the trip down memory lane but unable to keep her eyes off of the man she's curled up against. After what seems like hours, she locks the phone and sets it aside. Her now free hands splay across his chest as she snuggles closer to him. His breathing hitches in his throat. He lifts her chin gently with his fingertips, angling her to face him. Their eyes meet, both whirling with emotions and excitement as they inch slowly closer to one another. As their lips finally touch, electricity sparks between them. Her heart skitters in her chest, mirroring the speed of his own racing pulse. The kiss, so much different than their previous drunken encounter, lasts only a moment, but it's enough to leave them both breathless. His forehead rests against hers as their lips break apart, both smiling at the innocence of a true first kiss.


	13. Ch 13

Stella wakes far too early, anxious for whatever training with Captain Phasma will entail. She slips into the loose fitting training clothes she finds in her quarters, pairing them with her high top converse from home and rushes out the door as she quickly throws her hair into a messy bun. She starts toward the training center, vaguely remembering where it is located, slowing her pace as she passes Kylo Ren's quarters. She half expects him to be exiting just as she walks by, like he always seems to do but today is different. She frowns. After their day together yesterday, she thought maybe he would be here to escort her.

The training center is already bustling with activity as she steps inside. Phasma's chrome armor reflects in the fluorescent lights, giving her an intimidating glow.

"What's with the armor?" She questions, raising a brow as she approaches the woman towering over her. "This isn't like Stormtrooper class or whatever, right?"

"Your superior requested your training. I have every intention of treating this exactly as I would any of my soldiers." Phasma's tone is a dead giveaway, even dampened by the helmet, that she is not looking forward to this. "I'm not certain what your relationship with Commander Ren and General Hux entails, but I do not accept the kind of disrespect you flaunt in their presence. We'll see just how long you can handle my training."

Stella is visibly taken back by her harsh words. Her dad's first wife, Shannon, used to accost her like this. She was never good enough for her stepmother and she hated the woman for it. Rather than cross her arms and bitch about how unfair she's being (like she would have to Shannon as a teen), Stella squares her shoulders and narrows her eyes with a fiery intensity. "I think I can keep up," She feigns strength in her voice, matching the strong stance she's taken. "Captain."

Phasma advances on the weak little thing, leering down at her as she signals for the other troops to line up. "You belong over there, Tompkins." She jabs her thumb to the end of the line. Stella, holding her head high, does as she's told.

The line is paired off and given directions for hand to hand combat. She can almost feel Phasma grinning beneath her mask as the white armored, and trained from birth, soldier takes his place across from her on the mat. Stella gulps down the rush of fear, mentally screaming at Kylo for getting her into this and mirrors his stance. He barrels toward her like a bullet out of a gun, but her short stature seems to be an asset and she is able to evade him with a quick dart to the left. He grumbles, cracking his neck menacingly and again rushes her. She eyes his armor, debating on how well the soldier can actually see out of his peripheral vision, and flings herself out of harm's way for the second time.

"Stop running and fight!" Phasma barks, assessing her every move.

Kylo Ren smirks from the window above the training center, keeping an eye on his star as she dives out of the way and eludes the frustrated stormtrooper. It took her almost no time at all to determine their weak point and use it to her advantage. This isn't exactly a tactic she should rely on, but he finds himself impressed all the same. The loose fitting, cropped tank top she wears gives him a peak at the tattoos usually hidden on her midriff. He draws his tongue over his lips, eyeing the designs. From this distance, he can only make out colors but his imagination has run wild at the thought.

A sudden shift in the air sends a chill up his spine and his shoulders tense. This again? He turns slowly, stalking like a predator to its prey, toward the only thing in this line of sight. The Scavenger.

"Why is the force connecting us?" He asks the universe more than he is asking her, knowing Rey doesn't have any knowledge of the force. "You and i?"

"Murderous snake!" She shouts, her voice cracking with emotion as anger pulses through her veins. "You're too late. You lost. I've found Skywalker."

His mood darkens at the confirmation that she is with his uncle but he's careful to maintain a calm exterior. Kylo tilts his head curiously. "Did he tell you what happened?" His eyes never leave hers as he inches closer. "The night I destroyed his temple. Did he tell you why?"

Rey's teeth grind together. "I know everything I need to know about you." She snarls.

"You do?" He narrows his eyes, sizing her up. "Oh you do. You have that look in your eyes." Ren has found himself memorizing the difference in each look in this girl's eyes. He can read her like a book. "From the forest. When you called me a monster." His voice drops an octave, disgusted with himself for letting her escape that day. Had Stella's presence not distracted him… he shakes his head at the thought.

"You are a monster."

"Yes." Kylo's lips twitch into a scowl. "I am."

The darkness surrounding them, as well as her figure disappears from view in the blink of an eye. He raises a gloved hand to rub his eyes out of frustration, only to notice drops of water on it. Ren raises a brow, growing more irritated by the inconvenient moment's he keeps sharing with Rey. He clenches a fist, growling under his breath and whirls around to the window again.

Stella is still managing to hold her own against the soldier, who is very obviously taking it easy on her. He crosses his arms over his chest as he stares down, processing what just happened.

"She's going to get herself killed." Hux's clipped tone interrupts his thoughts as the ginger-haired man stalks into the observation room and eyes Stella below.

"Hm." He hums in response, his jaw twitching as Stella takes a heavy blow to the shoulder and falls forward. He shouldn't give a damn about either one of these girls, yet can't get his mind off of both of them.

Stella hits the mat, breathing heavily and biting hard into her lip to fight back the tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Her gaze trails up to Phasma as the adrenaline kicks in and the pain dulls slightly. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Stella pulls herself to her feet, taking her starting stance once more. Her eyes lock on her opponent, and rather than waiting, she makes the first move. Her small frame picks up speed as she sprints at the man, ramming against him with a powerful grunt. He follows the same pattern of attacks as before, giving Stella the upper hand as she dodges each one. She manages to get behind him, sweeping her leg into the weak armor on the back of his knees and pinning him to the mat with an elbow against his throat.

"Enough." Phasma barks, swooping in and effortlessly lifting her off of the trooper. "Commander Ren requested you learn to use a weapon. Not fight." She yanks her across the training center.

"What the hell was the point of all that then?!" Stella yelps, angry at the Captain for disregarding her moment of glory.

"A weapon cannot always protect you." She sneers at the girl, her voice as deadpan as Kylo Ren's usually is. "You will participate in all of my training. Not just pieces. And just because you got lucky once doesn't mean you have graduated. You're also injured. Therefore, we're moving on."

Stella simply nods, finding herself more intimidated by Phasma than any of the men on this ship. This is who she should be spending her time with!

"Do you know anything about blaster rifles?"

"Uh… no. I mean, I used to shoot targets with my grandfather every weekend. But I think the shotgun I used was pretty different." She mumbles, tightening the messy bun on top of her head.

"And did you hit any of those targets?" Phasma, despite not understanding a word she just said, taunts and nonchalantly points her chrome blaster at a section of targets. She hits all five with deadly accuracy.

"Yes." She bobs her head, proudly. In the back of her mind, Stella can't help but wonder how troopers, in the movies, seem to miss every shot if she is the one training them. "I was an amazing shot actually."

With a grunt of disbelief, the Captain snatches a rifle from a nearby trooper and shoves it into Stella's arms. "Be my guest."

Just as she had done every Sunday for most of her childhood, and a few times in college, Stella mounts the rifle against the crook in her shoulder. It fits perfectly into the same place her old Beretta at home did, and she takes a deep breath. Her cheek rests against the stock, eyes trailing down the barrel and focusing on her target. She pulls the trigger, surprised by the lack of recoil and grins as the target explodes in front of her.

"I guess it's not much different." She mumbles, taking aim at a second and third. By her fourth shot, Stella starts overthinking what she's doing, becoming very aware of the amount of people watching her, and misses the black silhouette across the training center. She lowers the rifle with a sigh and glances to her Captain.

"You got in your head." Phasma somehow sound less irritated now that Stella has proven decent at something. "Don't think so hard."

She nods, propping it back against her shoulder. She closes her eyes for a moment, clearing her mind as the targets begin shifting around the room. She imagines herself back home on Grandpa's farm, in the dusty field. He launches the orange clay into the sky and she shatters it into pieces before it can touch the ground. Over and over again, she loses herself in this daydream as she takes down every target that comes her way in the training center.

Hux and Kylo Ren share the same shocked look on their features.

"Well," Hux clears his throat, breaking the stunned silence in the observation room. "I suppose this idea of yours could prove to be worth our time after all." Disgusted to hear himself say that Ren was right, he turns sharply on his heel and storms out the exit.

Phasma returns the rifle to its owner, trading it for a much smaller blaster pistol; something Stella could actually carry on her person. She gestures to the targets and again, Stella fires. Without the benefit of the sights directly in front of her, her accuracy decreases greatly. She still manages to hit 2 of the 6 targets, but isn't nearly as impressive. Phasma kicks her foot lightly, pushing it back to adjust Stella's stance and signals for her to shoot again. 3 out of 6. The pair continues manipulating her stance and hold on the pistol for a while, until Stella is able to hit 5 out of the 6 targets.

"FE-1211!" Phasma hollers to the trooper who has taken her place overseeing the hand to hand combat group. He rushes to her side, standing at attention. "See that the armory equips miss Tompkins with a SE-44C pistol as soon as possible. She will continue her daily training alongside your squadron until Commander Ren is satisfied."

"Yes captain." He inclines his head forward with a sharp nod.

Stella, assuming this is her cue to take a break, hurries over to her bag and drags a towel over her perspiration forehead.

"You continue to surprise me, Star." Kylo Ren's voice rings out from behind her. She laughs, a blush creeping over her cheeks as she faces him.

"Well hopefully you only saw that last part. I looked pretty pathetic up against these guys." She jabs her thumb in the direction of the fighting stormtroopers. "I can barely do a push up, let alone keep up with them."

He's barely listening, unable to keep his eyes off her bare midriff, and the peak of a tattoo along her hip. She follows his downcast gaze, smirking. "They're roses." She tugs the hem of her shirt up enough to expose a bit more of the artwork. "It starts down on my thigh and wraps around."

He trails his fingertips over the intricate vines and blood red flowers decorating her skin. Stella nips at her bottom lip, her heart nearly stopping in response to his touch. Now if only he would take the damn gloves off…

"Stella," he begins, forcing himself to remove his hand from her hip. "I want to see you tonight. My chambers at 1800 hours?"

She can't decide if he sounds nervous or angry, but she nods. "Yeah, ok. I'll be there."


	14. Ch 14

Stella drags her eyes over the line of lipstick tally marks along her full length mirror. One for every day she's been here. She tugs her phone from her pocket, scrolling to the calendar and estimates what the date back home would be. Not that she has any clue how time differs here. 14 days. "New Years eve.." She murmurs. "Happy New Year, family. I miss you all so much." A sigh escapes her lips. She's cried more in the last two weeks than she can ever remember and now the tears, despite prickling at the corners of her eyes, won't fall. She rubs her palms over her bloodshot eyes, gulping down the hard lump forming in the back of her throat. No more christmases, no more New Years', no more anything she has grown up with. She drops back onto her bed, stretching her legs in front of her. Images of little Luna, Brittany and Natalie dancing the night away in the hallway of some hotel while dads band performs in the next room over play in her mind. Every year it's the same tradition. Dad's silly cover band plays, the girls listen to the first set from the hall so Luna can be there, and then go to the pool for a late night swim until midnight. Stella chokes out a laugh at the memories.

The blast doors to her quarters hiss open and she jerks upwards, hurriedly wiping any evidence of tears.

"Stella," Ren bellows through the apartment before poking his head into her bedroom. "I ne-" he begins, stopping short at the state he's found her in. "Are you alright?"

She shakes her head quickly. "Yeah, no I'm fine. Am I late?" Her eyes dart over to the alarm clock as she counts the hours on her fingers. "1800 is like six right?"

"You've been crying." His tone is much softer. He perches on the edge of the bed, creasing his forehead with concern.

"I'm fine. Really." Stella assures him, crawling closer and resting her head on his shoulder. His strong arms pull her tight against him. She inclines her head in the direction of the mirror. "Just thinking of home."

Kylo Ren follows her gaze, instantly understanding the slew of lipstick markings on the glass surface. "Star, if there was any way I could send you home…"

"I know." She forces a smile, tilting her chin up to him. "So if I'm not late, what are you doing here?"

He shifts, releasing her from his grasp and drawing in a long breath. "I need you to tell me where Skywalker is."

"Oh. Um, I don't really know the name of the planet." She stammers, twisting her fingers in her lap. "They never really said it in the films and I haven't read the novels yet. Should I be worried? You seem kind of frazzled."

"Snoke has begun to question your presence here."

"What?!" She jumps to her feet.

"I can't keep him at bay much longer, Star." He rakes a hand through his hair. "You need to tell me where he is.

Stella backs away slowly, raising her palms in surrender. "Kylo, I don't know. It's an island. That's all I know! They don't say the name in the movies, I swear!"

"He's commanded me to bring you to him if I couldn't get the location myself." His voice is just above a whisper, breaking with a crack of emotion.

"No!" She shrieks. "He will see into my mind and find out that you.." she stumbles over the words, pacing back and forth across the room. Her hands tremble at her sides. "It'll ruin everything."

He slowly rises from the bed, cocking his head curiously. "Know that I what?"

"No. Don't make me tell you. It'll get you killed."

"Star." He growls, gripping her shoulder and forcing her to face him. She winces at the pressure on her already injured arm.

"No." It comes out as a whimper. Stella has never felt more pathetic in her life.

Kylos lips press into a hard line. "Fine. We'll do this the hard way." His eyes narrow as he tightens his grasp on her, inching his power into her mind. Her eyes snap closed, squeezing tightly together as she tries to fight him. She focuses on an image of a thick steel wall, hoping it will keep him out. Her plan doesn't even work for a second as he skims through her memories, picking each apart until he finds the one she's hiding.

Fire. The room around him is lit with flames, the floor covered in bodies of red robed Praetorian guards. Supreme Leader Snoke is sliced in two. And there he is. In the middle of the room, Kylo Ren stands with his hand extended to Rey.

Ren drops his hold on Stella, backing away from her as he blinks rapidly. "I kill him." He mutters.

"You kill him." She repeats, hugging her arms around her body. "I didn't call you Supreme Leader before for no reason." Her shoulders lift in a half shrug.

"You need to leave." He snaps his fingers, rushing to her closet and tossing clothes into a nearby bag. "Hux will find somewhere for you until…"

"What?!" Stella squeaks. "No. You can't just send me away!"

He stops, looking up at her with tears glistening in his chocolate eyes. "You can't stay here, Stella. Not if that is in my future."

Her bottom lip quivers. She wants to scream at him, tell him he's wrong and this will never work

Kylo Ren rolls his jaw, and stalks toward the door. His shoulder (well, really his elbow) brushes against hers as he pushes by. "Pack your things." It takes no time at all for him to manipulate an emotionless mask over his features. "You leave as soon as I secure a pilot."

Stella blinks rapidly, dumbfounded by his decision. She stares between the bag he hurriedly through her things into and the door. She grunts in frustration, pounding her fist into the mattress and finishes tossing her few possessions in the bag. She flings the bag over her shoulder, following the same path he took to the door. As the blast doors fly open, she takes a long look around the small apartment she's come to call home. "See you around." She mumbles to no one, shocked at the sadness she's filled with. Never in the last few weeks had Stella given a second thought to Snoke. And now he's turning her world upside down for a second time.

With a deep inhale, she steps into the hall and makes for the main hangar. Her footsteps thud against the ground, matching the speed of her heavily pounding heart. She's grown used to the downcast eyes of her peers as she walks through these halls but now it only makes her feel more alone.

Entering the hangar, her eyes fall on the clearly arguing Kylo and Hux. Hux flings his arms in the air, exasperated by whatever order he's just been given and begins jabbing away at his datapad. Stella can't help but chuckle. She'll miss this. Kylo catches her eye and curls his index finger, gesturing for her to come closer.

"General Hux is taking care of your destination. He and the pilot will be the only ones to know where you are going. This is for the best, Stella." Ren trails his thumb along her jawline, cupping her cheek in his hand. Her voice catches in her throat and she can only nod. She nuzzles against his hand, memorizing every bit of how his touch makes her feel just in case it is the last time.

"The ship is ready, Commander." An officer shouts over the roaring engines.

His hand drops and he gives a curt nod. He exits the hangar without another word. Stella's head drops to her chest, cold and heartbroken. This is it. She's failed Mara.

"Try to blend in, miss Tompkins." Hux jerks her from her thoughts before she can set foot on the ramp.

"We both know I'm not good at that." She hiccups a laugh.

"Yes. Well." He mumbles, awkwardly patting her on the back. She smiles at his attempt to comfort her. "Don't knock anyone unconscious, at least."

Stella mock salutes him. "Yes General."

"And Stella," he begins, handing her a small tablet. "If you need anything."

She eyes the data pad and quickly shoves it into her bag. "Thanks Armitage."

She trudges up the ramp, waving a solemn goodbye as it ascends behind her and straps herself in to an empty seat. Stella pops her headphones in, clicking on the only music actually downloaded to her phone, and closes her eyes as the ship speeds out of the hangar.

"This is for the best, my star." Kylo Ren's voice echoes in her mind as she watches the stars of the galaxy zip by. "Please, trust me.."


	15. Ch 15

***A/N... This chapter got a bit long, so I'm splitting it into two parts. Here's part one!! Enjoy!!***

What seems like hours later, Stella's ship bursts into the atmosphere of her destination. She stares out the window, resting her hand on the glass as she eyes the planet below. Her brows shoot up at the sight of the rocky terrain. "Where the hell am i?" She murmurs, tugging the headphones from her ears. The ship lands roughly, dropping the ramp and exposing a rush of desert heat. Stella winces, grumbling to herself about how her hair won't survive this climate.

"You." A manipulated voice commands from the cement hangar as she steps off the ship. His traditional white Stormtrooper armor is embellished on his right shoulder with a red plate, indicating he has a higher rank than most. "Captain Tersu has been expecting you. Follow me."

"Uh...Yes sir." She nods, shuffling behind him with her bag in hand. He leads her through the base, passing what looks like a never-ending skeet shooting range, like the ones her grandfather would take her to in Iowa, and stops in front of a set of all black armored guards. She twists the hair tie on her wrist, tugging it back and snapping it against her skin repeatedly. 'Death Troopers are still a thing?' She thinks, wishing she'd paid closer attention while watching Rogue One. They step out of the way, leering down at her through their ominous helmets, and reveal a plain office door. She raises her left brow as the trooper leading her knocks against it.

"Captain, the General's transfer arrived."

"Send her in." The voice behind the door rings out. Stella gulps and steps into the office. She straightens her shoulders, trying to adopt a military stance and inclines her head forward at the chrome armored trooper inside. Her helmet is removed, revealing a dark skinned female. Her cropped black hair spikes out in all directions, contrasting the uniformity of the rest of her. The door behind Stella slams closed, causing her to jump. "Miss Tompkins. General Hux informs me that you have proven yourself as more than just a desk jockey."

"Excuse me?" Stella shakes her head, creasing her forehead in confusion.

"Surely he spoke to you before implementing this promotion?" Stella's expression doesn't change and the captain sighs. "Your shooting accuracy speaks for itself. The General has sent you to here to train alongside my team of sniper troopers. He believes you will live up to my expectations despite your lack of previous training."

She bites back the smart remark resting on the tip of her

tongue and chokes out a more acceptable response. "Captain, where exactly is 'here'?"

"I was warned that you come from a rather sheltered background." The woman smirks, eyeing her up and down. "You're on Tatooine; just outside the city of Bestine. Your armor will be delivered to your chambers shortly. Training begins at dawn. EV-0188 will show you the way. Major?" She calls out the door to the red shouldered trooper waiting at attention. "You're both dismissed." He nods and turns on his heel without a word.

Stella's eyes widen, unsure if she's supposed to follow or wait for someone else. A subtle gesture from one of the death troopers outside clues her in and she bolts after EV, back into the massive desert base. She gazes around the beige landscape, wrinkling her nose as a gust of wind blows sand into her face. 'Maybe the helmet will be helpful.' She surmises with a grunt.

"Report here for training." The major points to an intricate practice course, almost camouflaged by sand dunes. She squints, shading her eyes from the harsh sun reflecting off the ground.

He leads her into the nearby barracks, punching in a code much like on the Supremacy to enter. EV halts outside of a door marked 'UZ-4507'. Stella tilts her head curiously. (Though she's not curious to ask why this trooper's quarters are now vacant. The thought alone sends a chill down her spine.)

"Training at dawn." He repeats, his cold monotone voice reminds her just how brainwashed these soldiers are. With a quick turn, he pivots in the opposite direction and leaves her alone in the otherwise empty barracks.

"Yes sir." She mumbles, threading a hand through her hair as the blast door creaks open.

The room is less than half the size of her previous quarters. It consists of only a small twin sized bed, a black metal desk and single office chair. Much like her college dorm, Stella realizes that the bathroom is a communal facility and groans internally. She drops her bag on the bed and tugs her hoodie from home out and over her head, desperate for some kind of comfort. A black body suit hangs against the wall, and she assumes that must be part of her armor.

She holds it up, measuring it to her body. "Cute." She mocks with an eye roll. A pile of white armor rests on the floor nearby, with a helmet propped on top. She can barely look at it. This isn't a Halloween costume anymore. She begins to pace around the enclosed space.

"Tatooine." Stella repeats over and over again under her breath, searching her memory for something more than just sand jokes. She sits on the edge of the bed, putting her head in her hands and rubbing her temples with her fingertips. "Jawa's and podracing? That one cantina song. Little Anakin's home..." Stella exhales, less terrified now that she actually recognizes her location. "What else do I know? Um.. I think Jabba The Hutt was here. Ugh!" She grunts, flopping back against the mattress. "I've seen these movies a thousand times! How can I not think of any more details?!"

Her palms press against her eyes, her aching body still not recovered from the intense training Phasma put her through just that morning. She curls up on the less than comfortable mattress, making a mental note to yell at Hux for these standards of living, and shuts down her mind until sleep takes over.

A loud siren wakes her before the sunrise the following morning. She jolts up, momentarily preparing for some kind of attack before realizing this is the morning wake up call in the residence hall. Her heart thuds hard against her chest, adrenaline pulsing through her in response to the shrill sound.

"Kill me." She casts her eyes upward as she rolls off of the bed.

She slips the black suit on, shifting awkwardly in the constricting fabric as it hugs her body like a second skin. Stella takes a deep breath and begins clicking the different white plated armor into place. She starts at her legs, questioning the range of movement she'll have once it's in place, and works up her torso and arms. The arms prove to be the most difficult. She pins one side of the upper arm panel against the wall, leaning her weight against it as she attaches the other side. Her heavy breathing just from putting this damn armor on is not a good sign. After much longer than necessary, Stella finally reaches the last piece; the helmet. Sliding it over her head, she inhales cautiously to test the attached air hoses. The exaggerated breath sounds modified much like Darth Vader's and she giggles. That too changes as it leaves the helmet and her laughter becomes uncontrollable. She allows herself a minute to regain her composure, sure that the nerves are to be blamed for that childish response, before making her way out of her quarters.

Her brows furrow beneath the mask as she blends effortlessly into the masses and exits the barracks. The helmet drastically improves her vision in this barren wasteland of a planet. She stops just short of the training course, giving it a quick once over. The sand covered ground will almost certainly make running a difficult task, so she can only imagine how hard actual combat will be in it. Captain Tersu awaits on the course, arms crossed over her chest as she observes the new recruit from a distance.

Stella, after she's remotely comfortable with her surroundings, ambles over to the course and falls into line amongst her peers. In unison, the unit turns to her. Her breathing catches in her throat. Has she seriously done something wrong already? Can they tell that she's a newbie? Her mind races as Tersu moves closer to the group. They snap forward in attention in response to her presence. If she wasn't so concerned with what could already have gone wrong, Stella would be impressed by her power.

She commands the unit to begin their 'daily's'. Stella, unsure what to do or what that means, raises her hand like a child in school. "Captain?" Her modulated voice sounds foreign in her ears. "Wha-"

"ST-2100, I presume you have an excellent reason for addressing a commanding officer out of turn?"

She looks around, concerned that she has interrupted another trooper. "Oh, I'm sorry I.. wait, are you talking to me?"

"I do not know how things are done on the Supremacy, but on the Supremacy, but on this base, you only speak when spoken to. Am I clear?"

"Yes Captain." Stella squeaks out, thankful for her helmet as her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. She slinks back into line, ignoring the barely audible snickers of the troopers on either side of her.

She finds out very quickly exactly what the squadron's daily's entail. Tersu's training is far more intense than the assessment Phasma put her through. 100 rounds of moving targets, followed by an intricate obstacle course, and another 100 rounds immediately after. Stella manages to disintegrate more than half of her targets, finding the helmet a serious disadvantage to her usual stance, but the running, climbing and crawling alongside the other troopers really takes its toll.

"I'm so not cut out for this." She murmurs under her breath as she army crawls, dragging her body with her forearms under a tent of barbed wire. Her arms hang limply at her sides as she manages to finish the course and lift herself off the ground.

Her second round of 100 is less than impressive, her shaking arms barely able to hold the weight of her blaster. She sighs, a mix of humiliation and disappointment washing over her as Tersu approaches.

"I didn't expect you to finish." Her clipped tone makes the poor excuse of a compliment sound more insulting than its meant and Stella twists her face into a grimace. "You'll get stronger over time, however," Tersu continues, clasping a hand on Stella's shoulder. The armor clangs together against her chrome gloved hand and Stella winces at the sound. "For your first day, I believe The General will be pleased with your report. Dismissed."

"Thank you, Captain!" She nods, turning on her heel and trudging back to the barracks. She is desperate to get off of her aching feet and rest her bruised and battered body.

Sand pours from every crease in her armor as she peels it from the black undergarment. She groans, more frustrated trying to remove the armor than she was putting it on, tossing each piece across the room with the remainder of her energy. She strips off the suit underneath, replacing it with leggings and her teal tank top from home and drops into the desk chair with a thump. Stella yawns loudly, stretching her legs out in front of her and slouching against the cold metal of the desk. She rests her forehead on it, too exhausted to move across the room to her (not much more comfortable) bed.

"Long day?"

"Seriously?" Stella hisses, lifting her head only enough to softly bang it against the surface for dramatic effect. "Can you send me home now?"

"You know the answer to that." Mara Jade shakes her head, the effervescent glow surrounding her blurring as she moves. A scoff releases from Stella's lips. "The outline of your future, and where it intertwines with my nephew has shifted unexpectedly. You need to return to him."

Stella slams her palms against the desk, shooting up in a harsh motion. "You act like I chose this!" She laughs bitterly, fixing her gaze on the wall rather than facing the ghost. "I begged him not to send me away, Mara. But that wormy looking bastard, Snoke has him wrapped around his little finger. Between him and the booty calls with Rey, here I am."

"Booty calls?" There is only a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I'm out. You can't expect me to save anyone from another planet, and it's not like I can just hop in a ship and fly to him!"

"Why not?"

"Seriously?" Stella rolls her eyes, turning to face the apparition. "Listen, ghost of Christmas future, I tried pulling a camper behind my dads truck last year and couldn't even stay in my lane. I can't fucking fly through space. Besides, Kylo is probably right. The fact that I went unnoticed by him for so long is a shock."

Mara sighs, resting her hand on her hip. "Rey will kill him."

"No she won't. She runs away from him in the falcon. Don't forget who's seen these movies!"

The grey of Mara's eyes, brightened by her otherworldly appearance, darkens. Just like in their first encounter, the walls around them melt away, revealing what Stella knows to be Snokes throne room.

The lightsaber hangs in perfect balance between Kylo Ren and Rey's outstretched hands; each one fighting for control of the weapon. A flash of white light explodes from it as a harsh crack breaks the saber in two, sending both flying across opposite sides of the room. Kylo crumples to the floor, slamming his head against the black marble tile and falling unconscious. Rey, however, pulls herself up, unharmed. She glances around the room for a brief moment before stalking to one of the red, bloody corpses surrounding her. She prys the double edged sword from the guard's cold fingers and turns to the unconscious man. Rey raises the weapon over her head, a tear dripping down her cheek and impales it into his stomach.

The scene shifts quickly, before Stella can truly process what she has witnessed, only to see herself.

Stella's eyes widen, protruding from her skull in horror as word comes that the Resistance has destroyed the Supremacy and everyone on it. Her knees weaken, giving out beneath her weight and she falls to the ground. A red bolt bursts through the sky, flying directly toward the base where she kneels. Screams of panic ring out around her as the weapon obliterates the entire base and her vision goes completely black.

Stella jerks away from the dream-like sequence, violently shaking her throbbing head back and forth. Tears have begun to well up in the corners of her own eyes from the haunting visual. "No. That's not how it happens. She leaves. She wants to save him, not kill him."

"No. Things are different now." Her motherly tone pushes Stella over the edge and she sobs softly into her hands. "If you don't stop this, he will die and so will you. Find a way back to him." With a final ominous warning, Mara's figure disappears from the room.

Stella curses under her breath, shooting up from her chair and snatching the datapad from her bag. She quickly begins manipulating the screen, attempting to figure it out. Eventually, she finds the proper application and punches in a code. Within seconds, Hux's face pops up on the screen.

"Stella?" He furrows his brows. The unkept nature of his usually perfect hair surprises her and she realizes she's woken him up. "Is everything alright?"

"Shit, I'm sorry! I don't know how the whole time difference thing works here!" She frantically apologizes. He simply shakes his head. Stella can't help but smile as her image of him jerks around and Millicent's orange face rubs against the camera. "Sorry I woke you, Millie." She giggles.

"She spends 90% of her life sleeping. I think she'll survive." He smirks, adjusting his hold on the electronic so the cat isn't taking over the whole frame. "Is everything ok, Stella?"

She exhales deeply. "Hux, I need to get back there."

"Stel-"

"No. This isn't a negotiation. I need you to get me back there as soon as possible! It's a life or death situation!"

Armitage rubs a hand over his face as he releases a yawn. "How so?" He mumbles.

"I can't really tell you." Stella pouts her bottom lip, giving her best puppy dog eyes and fluttering her long lashes. "Please..." She pleads. "Just one tiny favor. That's all I'm asking."

He groans, dropping his chin to his chest. "I'll see what I can do."

Her eyes brighten. "Thank you!" She squeals. "I owe you one!"

"You have no idea."


	16. Ch 15 Part 2

**_*A/N….Remember this is part two of chapter 15. So it is continuing off of the end of 14!*_**

The ship carrying Stella disappears into the inky black of the galaxy with a flash. She is gone because of him, and he isn't certain he'll ever see the strange girl again. Kylo Ren sighs, balling his hands into fists at his side. Perhaps he once again acted too quickly but it's too late for that now. He stiffens, rolling his jaw as he senses the presence of another behind him.

"I have no interest in mediating your love affairs, Commander." Hux's clipped tone instantly irritates him. He glares in response. "However, I do not believe sending her away will help whatever situation the two of you find yourselves in."

"I'm protecting her." He growls with a glance over his shoulder. The ginger-haired General sneers, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're protecting yourself."

"She would have put the entire mission in jeopardy!" He barks, whirling around to face Hux, eye to eye. "She was nothing more than a liability." The two share a lengthy stare off; each one biting back the slew of insults rampaging in their minds. Hux is the first to break away, stalking toward the door with a disapproving grunt. With a barely audible sigh, Ren rakes a hand through his hair. "You sent her somewhere safe?"

Hux stops in his tracks, keeping his back to the Commander. "I care for that girl as though she were my own flesh and blood. I did what I could in the short time I was allotted."

"I know exactly how you treat your 'own flesh and blood', General." Kylo spits. "Is she safe?"

Hux's shoulders visibly tense. He remains silent, only dignifying such a comment with a short nod and removes himself from the room. In any other situation, getting under Hux's skin so obviously would leave Kylo grinning ear to ear, but not right now. He initially scoffed at the idea of having any attachment or affection for Stella, and now finds himself concerned for her safety.

"Weak minded fool." He murmurs, uncertain if he's referring to Hux or himself at this point.

After taking a final glance out the window, in the direction Stella's ship went, he ambles into the halls of the Supremacy. His long strides carry him across the ship at a fast pace, only stopping as he arrives at a glass enclosed elevator. The doors hiss open and Ren steps inside, pressing the button for the proper floor. His eyes slip closed in meditation, clearing his conflicted mind as the lift carries him up the surprisingly large ship. Kylo straightens his shoulders, lowering his eyes and steps through the opening doors. Snoke awaits him at the end of the marble tiled runway, leaning back casually against his throne.

"Well, well, my ever faithful apprentice." His voice, like gravel against Ren's ears, is toneless. "So quickly you return to me. Where is Skywalker?"

Kylo Ren's expression remains deadpan, fixing his gaze on the ground as he kneels in front of his master. "Hux removed the girl from this ship." He growls, clenching his jaw. "In her mind was the same island that the scavenger fixated on, but I was unable to acquire any other details."

"Hm." Snoke hums, leaning his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together in front of him. With the smallest movement of his wrist, a sharp pain violates Kylo Ren's mind, delving into the darkest corners of his thoughts. He grinds his teeth, agonizing pain ripping through him and churning his stomach. A grimace twists over the Supreme Leaders disfigured face. "You believe using General Hux's weak mind to hide the girl would keep me from discovering what she knows?" He tuts in disappointment. "Young Solo, you have failed me again."

"She continued to defy the General's orders, Supreme Leader." His head whips up, hair falling over his eyes and obstructing his vision. He rises to his feet, clenching and releasing fists at his sides. Despite knowing he has been lying through his teeth, Ren grows angry at his own master's lack of trust. "I carried out your request in the time I was given. Your General disrupted my progress."

Snoke waves his hand, dismissing Kylo Ren from his throne room silently. Ren grunts under his breath, turning sharply on his heel and stomping from the room. As the elevator doors close, Kylo unsheathes his lightsaber and slashes it across the illuminated walls. A guttural growl roars from within him as he continues destroying the small space with every slice of his weapon. The automatic doors slide open, a cloud of smoke pouring out into the hall and he holsters the weapon, continuing his trek toward his chambers.

The halls clear around him as he stalks through, clearly reeling with anger. No one is brave enough to acknowledge him when he's in this state of mind. The doors to his suite hiss open before he approaches, thanks to the jerked movement of his wrist. They slam behind him, causing the nearby Troopers standing guard to jump in fear. Ren paces back and forth across the span of his living quarters.

He has always prided himself on doing what he believes is right, and usually that lined up with the wishes of his Master. The conflict in his mind rips him in every direction, through every emotion imaginable, and leaves him mentally exhausted. His chest rises and falls with rapid breaths, only slowing as the air around him shifts and darkness creeps into his peripheral vision. He squeezes his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment before turning his attention to her.

Rey's face is illuminated in a glow of orange light, he assumes from a fire. Her usually pulled back hair currently falls against her shoulders, framing her jaw and drawing his attention directly to her lips. He can't help but stare. Camouflaged by the fire's warm light, a crimson flush rises in her cheeks and she avoids his eyes. The corners of his mouth twitch upward in response to her obvious discomfort.

"You've been crying." He observes, taking a seat across from her. "Why?"

"Why do you care?" Rey tucks a strand of hair behind her ear; her absent expression only draws him in more.

"It's becoming clear that we have no control over these meetings. It takes far less energy to just accept it, rather than fighting." His shoulder lifts into a half shrug.

Her chin tilts up, locking her eyes with his and searching them for some kind of deception. "Why should I trust you? For all I know, you've been forging this connection."

Kylo crosses his arms over his chest. "If I controlled whatever this is, I would have ended it the moment I realized I couldn't manipulate your mind to get to Skywalker."

She sighs. "He's not your enemy, Ben."

"Of course he is!" A bitter laugh rumbles from his throat. "I was a child, Rey. I woke up to my uncle preparing to murder me. I did what I had to to survive!" His hands ball into fists as they rest on his thighs. Rey flinches back at his outburst.

"No. He was frightened of you! He saw the darkness in your mind!" She furrows her brows, shaking her head in disbelief. "He wouldn't have killed you."

"You don't know that." Kylo growls through gritted teeth.

"You're conflicted, Ben! I see it in you. You can come back to the light." His eyes drop to the fire coming into for us between them. He can see her surroundings, suddenly, but is so lost in his thoughts that he barely reacts. Rey bites her bottom lip, curiosity getting the best of her. "There's someone keeping you from seeing the light isn't there?"

His lips curl into a sneer. "Once again, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Who is she?"

Kylo lifts his head, eyes boring into her through the dark curls falling on his forehead. He opens his mouth to speak, fully prepared to yell at her, but snaps it closed as he sees the genuine interest glimmering in her eyes. He sighs, dragging a hand over his face. "She's gone now. It doesn't matter."

She gives a close-lipped, knowing smile. "You love her, don't you?"

He scoffs, grumbling under his breath about how wrong she is. He waves a hand dismissively, changing the subject. "Luke has been training you."

"If you won't talk about her, I won't talk about that." Rey mirrors his closed off body position, crossing her own arms over her body. He pins her with his eyes, their warmth reflecting off of the orange flames between them. She exhales sharply. "Something beneath the island was calling to me and I followed it."

"Something happened." His forehead creases, brows shooting together as he leans forward, listening intently.

"I should have felt trapped or frightened, but no.." she continues, closing her eyes as she relives the moment in her mind. The image of herself replicated endlessly in front of her. She snaps her fingers, testing the limits of this mirror. "It didn't go on forever. I knew it was leading somewhere and at the end it would show me what I came to see.. I thought I'd find answers here." Kylo nods, not certain he fully understands but senses the heartbreak laced in her words. "I was wrong. I've never felt so alone." Her eyes blinks open, rimmed with fresh tears.

He watches the range of emotions run through her, feeling something for the girl he is frightened to admit. "You're not alone." His voice is soft but powerful. He swallows hard, eyeing the girl who reminds him so much of his younger self.

She meets his eyes, her hands trembling in her lap. This shouldn't be happening. She should be frightened of the monster across from her but something else bubbles up in her stomach. "Neither are you."

A new courage fills her and Rey reaches a hand out to him. She doesn't know what is happening inside of him, but senses a budding trust. He removes his glove, extending his own hand to hers. As their fingertips touch, a flash of their entwined future bursts through his mind. The same image from Stella's mind, except Rey has taken his hand. He smiles down at his equal in the vision. The image blues from view as the door to her hut swings open and crashes hard against the stone walls. Kylo's eyes widen, jumping up from his seat as Luke's horrified face comes into view. Before he can witness the true reaction of his uncle, the air around him shifts and again he is alone in his chambers on the Supremacy.

His head drops to his chest as his heartbeat slows to a normal pace and the adrenaline of their interruption wears off. "That was a mistake." He murmurs, pounding his open palm against the dining table next to him. He begins pacing back and forth, fully replaying their conversation in his mind. Did he love Stella? How the hell would the scavenger be able to see that so clearly? And what was that warmth he felt as their skin touched?A loud groan escapes his lips as his mind races. He needs his star back to silence these confusing thoughts.


	17. Ch 16

***A/N... since my last one took me a while to post, how about two in one night! And it's a LONG one! Enjoy!!***

Stella paces the floor of the pathetic barracks she is forced to call home for the time being, eagerly waiting for Hux to call her back. It's been well over an hour since she asked him to get her back to the Supremacy, and she's beginning to grow nervous that he isn't following through with the favor she begged him to do. "Come on Hux.." She mumbles, snapping the hair tie against her wrist. "Life or death here, man!" The data pad on her desk finally beeps and Stella jerks her head in its direction. Her shaking fingers press the screen to answer the holomessage.

"A transport is leaving Tatooine at dawn. You need to stowaway on it." Armitage skips any sort of pleasantries in favor of getting right to business. "No one can know you are on it."

"Wait what?" She shakes her head in surprise. "It took you an hour to figure that out? You had like 15 minutes to get a private ship to get me here! What's changed?"

His eyes narrow. "If you prefer to alert Kylo Ren of your blatant disregard for his orders, by all means, take a private shuttle." Hux growls. "I assumed by the urgency of your request that keeping it silent would be more appropriate."

"Yeah, Sorry. You're right." She begins, gulping at the anger in his eyes. Even through the datapad's screen she can feel the heat of his glare searing her skin. "How will I get on board unnoticed?"

"I'll walk you through it. You have two hours before the ship departs."

Stella nods. "Ok. Lead the way." If he's taking this so seriously, she'd better as well!

A map of the base appears on the screen, a large red X off to the right side. She raises a brow as he begins manipulating the map. "You are somewhere in this area, yes?" He questions, circling a sector on the opposite side.

"I think so." She mumbles, squinting to get a better look.

"The sharpshooters on the transport have all earned a much higher rank than you, and will all have a blue pauldron on their armor and a visor over their helmets. You need to get to the armory and steal those items, or you won't be getting on that ship."

She nods, gulping slightly. "I can do that." Her voice cracks a bit, revealing how nervous she actually is. "I used to sneak out of my dad's house all the time. Piece of cake."

"Report back as soon as you get them." He nods once, hanging up on her. The map remains on her screen and she eyes it carefully, doing her best to memorize every turn she'll have to take.

She snaps a photo of the map with her phone, tucking it into her hoodie pocket and pokes her head out of her door. She looks back and forth a few times, making sure the halls are clear and hurried through the dimly lit base. Her bare feet are silent against the tiled floor, exactly as she would have snuck out of the house as a teenager, and she pins her body against every corner before taking a sharp turn once the coast is clear. The armory isn't too far away and Stella manages to find her way without too much checking of the map. The doors hiss open, and she flinches as she comes face to face with a service droid.

"Fuck." She mumbles, eyes widening. The droid stares at her silently. Her eyes fall on the blue shoulder caps, and visors just across the room. She straightens her shoulders, tossing her hair back and eyes the robot with as much confidence as she can muster. "Captain Tersu said my armor would be waiting in my quarters yesterday and it still hasn't arrived." She begins, lying through her teeth. "I'd hate to take this issue up with her, so if you could look into what happened…"

The little droid beeps what she can only assume is an expletive and zips off to another room. She dives across the counter, sliding over the metal and landing on the floor with a soft thud. Jumping to her feet again, Stella snatches both items and bolts out the door at full speed.

She ducks into the nearest unlocked office and slips the pauldron and visor beneath her sweatshirt, creating awkward shoulder pads under the fabric. Casually, she makes her way back to the barracks.

"Piece of cake." She repeats, tossing the pieces on her bed as the door to he closes behind her. She leans back on the wall, sighing loudly and punches the code into her datapad to contact Hux again. As she waits for his answer, Stella begins slipping into her armor once again. Leaving her tank top underneath the black bodysuit, she zips it up over her torso and starts clicking the white pieces into place.

"Why do I get the feeling you enjoyed that?" Hux wears an amused smirk as he answers.

"Could you see me?!" She scoffs, propping the datapad against the wall and continuing to work on the armor. "This is a huge pain in the ass, by the way. The Resistance just has orange jumpsuits and they seem pretty safe!"

"Security holocams, Stella. I have eyes on every base, in every ship, wherever I need them." He shrugs nonchalantly. "The little jump move was rather entertaining."

"Shut up." She rolls her eyes, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Gotta keep it interesting."

"That goes on your right shoulder." He indicates as she gets to the new pieces of armor. She nods, trying to manipulate it into place.

"Hux, do you think the rebels have any sort of weapons at their disposal that you don't know about?" She pauses as a flash of Mara's warning forms in her mind. "Like the Starkiller Base or something?"

"Is now really the time you wish to discuss this?" He cocks an eyebrow. She shrugs, tugging her helmet over her head. With a loud sigh, Hux nods slowly. "It is rumored that after the destruction of Alderaan, their allies began constructing some kind of more localized version of the weapon. Something to pick off individual bases, rather than entire planets."

"Do you think it exists?"

"If it did, I have to assume it has been destroyed. What brought this up?"

She shakes her head, adjusting the visor over her helmet. "Just thinking about how little I really know about this universe."

"Stella, the First Order are the law of this universe. You are safe if you remain on the proper side." It almost sounds like a threat, and Stella bites her lip.

"Yeah, of course." She bobs her head in mock agreement. 'Hux can be a bit too intense.' She thinks with a scowl. The same alarm as yesterday screams through the barracks, causing her to jump despite already being awake. She hates that thing. "So now what?"

"Now you get to the transport on the hangar you arrived in and keep your mouth shut. Captain Tersu will see her snipers off and as long as you remain silent, you'll be here within 10 hours."

She nods. "Thanks Hux. Really, I owe you big time."

"I have no idea what you're referring to, Tompkins. As far as anyone knows, you concocted this escape all on your own, am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" She salutes, momentarily forgetting about the added visor and smacking herself on the head in the process. Hux smirks, shaking his head.

"Good luck."

The screen goes black and Stella takes a deep breath in. "Padme went to the lava planet, you can sneak on a transport ship." She whispers, hyping herself up before stepping back into the halls of the base. A group of blue shouldered troopers make their way out of the barracks, stalking through the masses as though they own the place. She rolls her shoulders, lifting her chin proudly and slips in behind them. The group, adding more and more as they move toward the destination, come to a halt in an otherwise empty hangar. Captain Tersu approaches the 12 snipers, eyeing each one in an inspection of their uniforms. She pauses on Stella, tilting her head as though something seems off. Stella's breath hitches in her suddenly dry throat. Tersu adjusts the pauldron on her shoulder, nodding with approval and moves along the line. Her shaking knees threaten to give out as the Captain moves away from her.

"General Hux requested the very best squadron on this base to be relocated first thing this morning. You have all earned the opportunity to prove yourselves on board the Supremacy. Make me proud." She clasps her hands behind her back, dismissing the group onto their ship.

Stella follows close behind, taking a seat on the large transport and slinking into it with a deep exhale.

The other troopers on board seem to be at least a bit acquainted with each other and begin conversing amongst themselves. Each one has a different idea of exactly why they have been called upon and Stella can't help but smirk under her helmet.

"Hux is probably planning some attack on Ren. Everyone knows they despise each other."

"No, I think they have eyes on Skywalker. Bringing us in to take him out from a distance."

"Ren wouldn't allow that."

The mix of opinions makes her chuckle to herself, faking a cough as the group turns to her at the sound. "Sorry." She mumbles, deepening her voice just in case one of them could determine who she actually is. They seem to accept that response and turn back to their conversation. Stella leans her head against the metal walls of the ship, allowing her eyes to droop shut as the ship barrels through the galaxy.

The 10 hours are spent drifting in and out sleep, doing her best to remain on her guard at all times. She begins to question exactly what she will do upon arriving at the Supremacy, a nervous pit forming in her stomach and weighing her down. She grinds her teeth together as the large destroyer comes into view. Nothing seems out of place quite yet, she surmises that the Resistance hasn't begun leaving on their transports yet. 'Maybe I'm not too late…' she thinks, drumming her fingertips against her thigh anxiously.

The small transport ship lands in the hangar, dropping its ramp on to the ground. As she steps into the Supremacy, her eyes dart around, half expecting Hux to be there waiting for her. The hangar is filled to the brim with Troopers standing at attention, in groups. "Oh shit." She murmurs, a realization dawning on her. She follows the group she arrived with into position, not yet prepared to make a run for it and waits, bouncing up and down on her toes. The hangar doors fly open only minutes after their arrival, revealing Phasma dragging three prisoners in tow. Stella gulps. Hux follows the group, a snide grin playing on his lips.

She shoves her way out of formation, yanking the helmet off of her head as the multitude of troopers around her point their weapons in her direction. Hux raises a brow, waving a dismissive hand at the quick response of his soldiers. She pauses in front of him, stealing a quick glance at Finn, Rose and DJ before turning her full attention on the General. "Where is Snokes throne room?" She hisses. With a flick of his wrist, a trembling Lt Mitaka is at his side, prepared to show her the way. She turns sharply on her heel, following close behind him. "Oh!" She squeals, whirling around and running back to him. She leans in close, whispering in his ear. "Two things… They have a droid with them somewhere around here. And you need to get Millicent onto Kylo's shuttle as soon as this is over." She squeezes his hand tightly, not waiting for an answer and sprints to where she left Mitaka waiting.

He leads her through the corridors of the ship, flinching every time she sheds another piece of the armor. As the chest piece falls heavily on the ground, she tugs the zipper of the body suit down, exposing her tank top. She ties the top portion of the body suit around her waist, like she used to do with wet suits in the summer. They come to. A stop in front of an elevator she has seen multiple times.

"Seriously? That's it?" Her brows knit together. Mitaka presses the button, stepping back. He clearly has no intention of following her up there. "Figured it would be a little more secret than this."

The doors open slowly and she steps inside, taking a deep shaky breath. The lieutenant leans in, only enough to press the proper floor, and nods a quick good luck to Stella. She fixes her eyes on the ceiling as the elevator rises through the massive ship. As the lift comes to a halt, she swallows the bile rising in the throat. Her stomach knots as sweat trickles down her spine and she eyes the scene unfolding across the throne room. Worry gnaws at her as she spots Rey moving toward an unconscious Kylo with a red double edged sword in her hands.

Stella rips her blaster from its holster at her side, pointing it at the character she once loved as her flesh prickles all over. "Get out of here, Rey." She yells, inching through the room, fighting the urge to vomit as she steps over the bodies of the guards.

Rey's head whips up, the weapon dropping from her hands out of surprise. "You.."

"I said get out of here." Stella holds her blaster steady on the seemingly unarmed girl, knowing full well she could rip the weapon out of her hands using the force.

With a final glance to Kylo, Rey turns and ambles to the back of the throne room, disappearing into the darkness. A crashing beam behind Kylo's body frightens Stella as she moves closer To him and she instinctively points blaster in its direction. He jerks awake in response to the floor around him shaking, eyes falling on the Stella and the barrel of her gun.

Her eyes widen. "No, Kylo. This isn't want it…" She stammers as invisible tendrils snake their way around her throat. The weapon drops from her hand and she brings them up to claw at her neck, attempting to fill her lungs. "Please.." she begs, choking beneath his grasp. The betrayal in his eyes as he draws her closer to him, breaks her heart into a thousand pieces. "I would never.."

"What happened?!" Hux interrupts, breaking Ren's concentration and sending Stella crumbling to the ground, gasping for air.

"The girl murdered Snoke. And Stella was trying to finish the job." Ren growls, pulling himself up. She wildly shakes her head, her eyes pleading with Hux to take her side.

"She took off in Snoke's escape craft." Hux picks up Stella's fallen weapon, pocketing the small pistol.

"We know where she is going." Ren begins for the exit, making a point to ignore Stella on the ground. She crawls to her feet, her body weakened and quivering from the lack of oxygen. "Get all our forces down to that resistance base. Let's finish this so I can properly deal with the traitor." He spits, glaring at her.

"I wa-" She's cut off before she can get more than a single word out. Hux grips her upper arm, cuffing her wrists behind her back and passing her off to the two troopers standing guard at the door. Her head drops to her chest, tears flowing uncontrollably.

"You presume to command my army?" Hux scoffs, lips twitching in irritation. "Supreme Leader is dead! We have no ruler!" He dares to step closer to Kylo Ren.

Kylo's brows snap together, a fire burning behind his blackening eyes. He pushes with the force against Hux's windpipe, much harder than he had with Stella and growls. "The Supreme Leader is dead."

Hux's face rapidly loses color as the air is restricted from his lungs. "Long live the supreme leader." He gasps, eyes protruding from his skull. Ren drops him and stalks from the throne room. The troopers drag a hysterical Stella behind him. The ship shakes wildly as a massive explosion rips through half of it. Stella's eyes widen, darting around the hangar and the flames bursting inside of it. She swore there was more time between the throne room and the rebels ship crashing. Ren whirls around to face her, gripping her upper arms tightly.

"What was that?!" He yells. She winces, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

"The purple haired chick.. Holdo I think. She crashed into the ship to save the rest of the Resistance ships." She chokes out, unable to meet his eyes. The hatred behind them pierces her like a dagger. "The Supremacy isn't going to survive."

"Load the transports and get every weapon we have onto that planet immediately!" Ren commands, yelling harshly over the commotion in the hangar. "Lock her in my command shuttle. I'll deal with her later."

"Kylo!" Stella yells as she's tugs away and locked into a small prison cell on the command ship. Her cuffs fall off of her wrists and she grips the bars, pressing her forehead against them. A small noise behind her startles her, and she turns to find a little ball of fur in the cell beside her.

"Millie." She whispers, crouching down and poking her fingers through the bars to pet the cat. "At least one of them is willing to listen to me."

The shuttle blasts into Crait's atmosphere, hovering just over the AT-AT's as the First Order approaches the massive resistance base. Kylo can't help but steal a glance back at the woman he momentarily thought he loved before she, like everyone else in his life, betrayed him. Her tear stained cheeks and reddened skin look completely pathetic. He scoffs at the girl, fighting the urge inside of him to pull her into his arms. She looks up from the cat, meeting his eyes for a brief moment before he turns away again.

'I was there to save you, idiot.' She thinks, shaking her head and returning to her feet. She grasps the bars tightly, straining to hear what is happening in the shuttles cockpit. The voices are muffled, giving her little idea of what is playing out on the ground below her. Stella closes her eyes, replaying the scene she remembers from the film in her mind.

"Out of the sky!!" Kylo's voice echoes through the ship, jolting her out of her thoughts. Though she only caught the tail end of the command, she knows exactly what he's referring to. The Millennium Falcon.

"It's a trick!!" She yells. At this point, she doesn't care who is considered good and who is bad. She just wants this to end. "A distraction to get your fighters out of the way!"

No response. Hux peers over his shoulder, almost sadly at her as she screeches from her cell. "All fighters concentrate on the speeders." He commands, ignoring the glare from Kylo Ren. "Advance."

"Stop!" His voice explodes again.

"Luke." Stella whispers under her breath.

The ship shakes as the ground is lit up with every gun in the First Order's artillery firing at once. "More!" Ren yells, his ragged breathing indicating just how personal this has all become. Stella kneads her sore shoulders, resting her head on the cool metal of the bars as the shooting continues.

"That's ENOUGH!" Hux bellows, silencing the rampaging weapons. Again, she strains herself in an attempt

to hear what is happening. For all she knows, Luke really was there this time. Plenty of other things have changed, why not that? She sighs as Kylo storms toward the ships descending ramp, and reaches a hand out to grab his cloak before he can pass her.

He stops, keeping his back to her. "Let go, Stella."

"Kylo please." she only grips the fabric tighter. "This is a distraction. A trick. You need to listen to me."

He shakes his head, casting a veiled glance in her direction as he waves his hand, knocking her unconscious. She falls to the ground, crumpling in a little ball as he exits the ramp.


	18. Ch 17

**_*A/N... I almost puked writing this. And I loved it. Enjoy!!*_**

Kylo stares at the girl as she sleeps soundly in his bed. Why he brought her here, he still can't seem to figure out, but he couldn't bring himself to lock her up again. His ankles hook around the legs of his chair as he shifts his position and leans back. Stella's chest rises and falls rhythmically with every breath she takes, every once in a while accompanied by a small grunt as she snuggles into the bed. He drags a hand over his face, the sharp facial hair poking out through his skin is rough against his bare hand. A sigh escapes him. He has been sitting here for well over a day, and it shows. Between his unshaven chin and the dark circles beneath his eyes, he's sure he's never looked so pathetic.

He decided, while Stella was away, that perhaps Rey was right. Maybe he did feel something stronger for this alien-like girl. He could have loved her, but she betrayed him. His hands ball into fists at the memory. He should kill her. She made a threat on his life, and as Supreme Leader, he should make an example out of her. But if he had any intention of doing that, why bring her to his private quarters upon arriving on the Finalizer. His mind races, battling back and forth between what he should do and what she makes him feel. She's a traitor. He scoffs at the thought. No, she was terrified.

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and reaches out into her mind. Not far enough to alert her or wake her, but enough to see exactly what was going through her head when she pulled that blaster on him.

 _Her usually bright eyes, now filled with horror and heartbreak, peer into the datapad in front of her. "Please Hux. This is life or death. I need to get back." She begs, wiping a stray tear as it falls down her paling cheek. "Please.."_

Anger and jealousy mix inside of Kylo Ren. She called on Hux rather than him?! The image in her mind blurs away, only to form another memory.

 _The scavenger stands over him, a grim look on her downcast face. Her weapon begins to raise, and her eyes squeeze shut. Stella bolts into the throne room, weapon drawn. Her lips twitch with fury at the sight._

 _"Get out of here, Rey." The shaking in her voice betrays the confidence in her stance. Bile rises in her stomach at the idea of actually taking someone's life, but to save him she's willing to pull the trigger._

 _The red sword drops from Rey's hands and she, to Stella's surprise, bolts from the room._

 _The dim lights and multiple flames in the throne room cast menacing shadows along the walls. Stella flinches as she sneaks closer to his unconscious form. The floor beneath her shakes wildly, matching her own trembling hands, in response to a beam falling from the ceiling with a loud crash. She jumps, instinctively pointing her weapon in the direction of the crash. He jerks awake, eyes immediately landing on her and a momentary peace washes over her. He's alive. She wants nothing more than to run into his arms and hug him close but the wild rage burning behind his eyes terrifies her._

Kylo recoils from the memory, slinking back against the rough chair. A ragged sigh escapes his lips. She wasn't trying to kill him. Of course she wasn't. He clenches his jaw.

"Imbecile." He murmurs under his breath, raking a hand through his hair.

Stella stirs, slowly blinking her eyes awake as a voice travels through her ears. She groans, burying her face in the pillow for a moment. Her eyes widen as a realization dawns on her. How the hell did she end up in a bed? She props herself up on her elbows, flinching as her weight shifts onto her still sore arms, and looks around the room. Kylo Ren's intense gaze is fixed on her, following her every movement with his eyes. "Why.. um, how did I get here?" She stutters through the words, attempting to decipher his mood. After their last encounter, she's sure he isn't too happy.

"You hit your head rather hard on my command shuttle." He shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest. Stella remains silent. She rolls onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She doesn't dare ask who's bed she's in. He exhales loudly, standing and moving across the room to his bed. He perches on the edge, just enough to be near her. "You were right," He begins, swallowing his pride. Those are words he'd arrogantly hoped to never say to any one. "About Skywalker. He was a distraction they used to get away from us again." Stella nods slowly, her fingertips dance against the duvet over her torso. She isn't sure if she's too frightened or just too stupid to speak. Her silence drives him mad. With tensing shoulders, he scoots closer to her, grasping her soft hand in his own. "I know you weren't going to shoot me, star."

"You do?" She squeaks, keeping her eyes focused on his bare hand as his thumb lightly strokes her skin. She tries to gulp down the rush of warmth that his touch leaves in her. Took him long enough to figure that out. "Then why choke me? Why lock me up and leave me on the floor of that cell?"

"Stella," He drops his head, shame corroding his insides. "That wasn't the first time I had awakened to someone I trusted holding a weapon over me."

"Shit." She inwardly cringes, sitting up further and squeezing his hand gently. "I never even put that together." As he nods, her heart wrenches in her chest. She should have realized. "I'm sorry, Kylo. I came back to save you, not to hurt you."

"I know that now." The corner of his mouth curls upward into a weak smile.

"You know," Stella regrets the words the moment they escape her lips, but can't stop herself. "You don't have to pretend to give a damn about me anymore. The movie and extent of my knowledge ended on that salt planet. You should go find Rey." She tugs her hand away from his and begins twirling a lock of hair through her fingers. "We both know you have a little crush on her."

A loud laugh of genuine amusement rumbles through his chest. "Star, you can't honestly believe that I've been pretending to 'give a damn' about you!" The grin across his features is so intoxicating, Stella finds herself unable to control the smile perking up on her own lips. "Why would I? For information? I could have plucked whatever I needed from your mind at any time."

She lifts her shoulder into a half shrug. "I figured you were just into some kind of fifty shades dominance stuff." Her face flushes as his brows raise. "Forget I said that. I'm not about to explain that reference to you." She tugs the blanket up, hiding as much of her heated cheeks as she can.

"I'm intrigued by you, Star." He, thankfully, ignores the strange comment and pulls the blanket down enough to expose her face. "You silence the screaming in my mind and the constant battle of light and dark inside of me. You are my balance, Stella." He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, allowing his palm to rest on her cheek. "No one in this galaxy has that effect on me."

"Wow…" She whispers. It's rare for Stella to truly find herself speechless but right now, she can barely form a coherent sentence. "I, um, me too?" She stammers as the crimson in her cheeks deepens.

He smirks. The typical Kylo Ren arrogance is never too far away, especially after such an out of character declaration from him. "Me too?" He mocks, feigning disappointment in her poor response.

She glares playfully, poking him in the chest with her index finger. "Shut up. I told you I was bad at this stuff." Stella tucks her knees under her body and leans closer to him, pressing her lips firmly against his before he can open his mouth to speak again. He smiles into the kiss, entwining his fingers in her hair as he pulls her closer against his chest. Their embrace lasts only a moment, just enough to leave them both wanting more. Their foreheads rest against one and other as their breathing synchronizes.

"Kylo," She whispers through a wobbly voice, squeezing her eyes shut for a second. Stella chews on her bottom lip. "What about Rey?" His chin drops to his chest as a frustrated sigh leaves his lips. "I'm sorry!" She splays her hand across his chest. "It's going to be in the back of my mind forever. I just need to know."

His expression sobers, honeyed eyes meeting hers as he lifts his chin. "Rey reminds me of my younger self." She bobs her head slowly. He can't help but smirk. "And i don't have a 'crush' on myself."

A wave of relief melts over her. In her heart, she knew he only saw her as a potential ally, but the fear was gnawing at her, eating her inside out. She purses her lips in response to his last comment, mocking him. "Mhm." She hums.

His jaw slacks open. In a flash, Kylo ren's hands fly to her hips, gripping tightly as he tosses her back against the bed. She giggles uncontrollably as he pins her wrists over her head and peers down at her; affection glowing in her eyes. The corners of his lips tug into a grin for a brief moment before covering her mouth with his. Stella melts into the kiss, reveling in the sensation of his body hovering over hers. Their lips dance together in a perfectly synchronized movement. As the pair breaks apart, Stella finds herself gazing up at him, completely thrilled to be the recipient of his affection. He releases her wrists, dropping onto the bed beside her and wraps his arms around her waist.

She perks up, finally able to focus her thoughts on what is exactly happening, and squirms out of his arms. His brows knit together. "What ship are we on? Or is it a planet?" She jumps off the bed and to her feet, instantly regretting the quick movement as her aching body cracks all over. She is definitely not cut out for stormtrooper training. "Snokes ship blew up, right? You have to show me around!" Excitement radiates across her whole face.

He rolls his eyes, quirking an arched eyebrow. He is convinced the girl has gone nuts. Who would be this thrilled to see the Finalizer? "Fine. But same rules as before apply, Star. You aren't to disrespect my position in public. Understood?" He crawls off the bed, stalking toward her as she bounces on her toes.

Stella props a hand on her hip. "Yes dear." She drones with a smirk.

"Keep that up and you won't be leaving this room."

She scoffs, wiggling her eyebrows playfully and bolts from the room. A low growl rumbles in the back of his throat as he chases behind her. His long strides, double that of her own, carry him to her in half the time. His arms encircle her, earning a hushed squeal as he spins her to face him.

Her expression softens as their eyes meet. Her pupils dart back and forth, peering deeply into his. "Thank you." She mumbles, playing with the collar of his tunic.

Kylo's forehead creases. "For what?"

"Existing." She laughs breathlessly. "God, this sounds so lame. I don't know." She wraps her arms around his shoulders."I showed up in another galaxy, maybe even dimension for all I know and rather than kill me on the spot, you took me in."

He chuckles, tracing circles down her spine with his fingertips. "I locked you up."

"Yeah. Well," Stella twirls his dark, tousled locks between her fingers. "In your own menacing, Kylo Ren ways, you took me in. You kind of saved my life."

A smile plays on his lips as he nuzzles against her hand. "And you literally saved mine." The vibration of his words against her skin sends a chill over her.

As she watches his every movement, Stella exhales deeply, drunk with happiness. She is completely in love with this man.


	19. Ch 18

***A/N... this took WAY longer than anticipated to finish! I swear I rewrote it about 7 times, and had 300 different ideas in my mind the entire time. So sorry for the delay! Thanks for all the love and encouragement!!***

The pair remain locked in the comfort of each other's arms for a few uninterrupted moments. Stella leans her head against his chest, the rhythmic beating of his heart lulling her into a dream-like state. Her long lashes flutter down, as her eyes droop closed, a deep sigh releasing from her lungs. Kylo's chin rests lightly on top of her head, his arms tightly enclosed around her. His thoughts are only focused on her, a rarity for his constantly buzzing mind. He narrows his eyes at the thought of anyone taking her away from him. Mentally, he vows to fiercely protect her from whatever could come her way. She tilts her chin up to him, lifting away from the warmth of his chest and furrows her brows.

"Why do you look so angry?" Her melodic voice jolts him from his thoughts.

"Do I?" He hums, holding her closer. She laughs softly, splaying her hands on his chest and pushing gently away.

"Extremely. Like 'I'm going to slash my lightsaber across a wall' angry. What're you thinking about?"

Kylo can't help but smirk at the comment. "Nothing, star."

She nods, content to let the subject drop. "So, do I have, like, a room or something on this ship?"

He loosens his arms, bringing a hand up to her hair and twirling a highlighted piece through his fingertips. "You could always stay with me." He smiles down at her, only half kidding about the arrangement.

"And I'm the one who can't take anything seriously?" She glares playfully. "Come on, you had to have given some thought to it! I know you." She shifts her weight onto her hip, propping a hand on it as his other arm drops from her waist.

A deep sigh leaves him. "Honestly, I wasn't certain if you would be leaving this room alive." He murmurs, an apologetic look in his whiskey-colored eyes. Stella inwardly cringes.

"Oh. The blaster thing. Right." She gulps back the rush of fear freezing the blood inside of her. Their sickeningly sweet reunion had almost made her forget how she wound up here in the first place. "Sorry." Her eyes hit the floor as she snaps the hair tie on her wrist a couple of times. His hand covers the elastic band, thumb gently stroking her reddening skin.

"You do that a lot, you know."

"Hmm?" She blinks, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. "Nervous habit, I guess."

Kylo brings her wrist up to his lips, softly pressing a kiss to the irritated spot. "You have no reason to be nervous, Star." He mumbles into her skin. "It's in the past." A weak smile quirks up the corners of her lips and she nods. She can't help but feel bad for bringing the subject up again. It easily could have unraveled the fragile, new relationship. "Come on." He drops her hand, placing his on her lower back and nudges her toward the door. "You asked for a tour and your own room. Now is as good a time as any to knock those out, right?" She bobs her head, thankful for his quick subject change.

Stella hurries over the threshold, biting her bottom lip as nervous butterflies swarm her stomach. Whatever type of relationship this is going to be, it will be more difficult than any of her past relationships, and that thought both terrifies and excites her simultaneously. They move slowly through the halls of the ship, The Finalizer, she eventually learns is its name, as her eyes dart in all directions; never lingering in one place for too long, in case she misses something. Despite the new and exciting visuals surrounding her, Stella is very much aware of the hand that still remains on her lower back. So much so, she can hardly focus on much else.

This ship is laid out much like the Supremacy. Save for one major detail. In the main sector of the ship lies a massive training facility, double the size of Snoke's. She tilts her head to the side, observing the hundreds of troopers lined up at attention as their supreme leader passes. This must be where they actually train.

"So," She begins, looping her arm with his as she turns to face him. "Do I get to keep training? I mean, I'm seriously out of shape and every bone in my body still hurts but I kind of enjoyed it!"

He chuckles, raising an arched brow at her. "Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, without the ridiculous trooper armor and desert sand everywhere, I think I could be a decent shot." Stella laughs.

"Desert?" Kylo's furrows his brows. "Where exactly did Hux send you?"

"Uh, Tatooine. I think the city was Bestine or something. I didn't quite catch the name." She shrugs, returning her focus to the training center in front of them. "You really didn't know that?"

"No, I su—"

"Supreme Leader." The familiar voice of Captain Phasma echoes from behind them. Stella's brows shoot to her hairline, stunned to see the chrome armored woman. "General Hux has been looking for you, sir."

"Wait, you're not dead?" Stella interjects, blinking rapidly.

The trooper straightens her shoulders, tightening the grip on the blaster in her hands at the assumed threat. "Excuse me?" Her voice, while calm on the surface, is laced with disdain. Kylo steps in front of Stella, effectively blocking her from Phasma's sight with a menacing scowl.

"That will be all, Captain." He dismisses her with a wave of his hand, remaining in front of the girl until she is out of sight:

"She died in the movie.." Stella's forehead creases as she processes her racing thoughts. "I didn't warn her about Finn, or.. what changed?"

"Star?" He observes her pacing, tilting his head curiously. The frustration of his time with her being interrupted sizzles under his skin, but her response to Phasma is enough of a distraction to calm him. "What changed?"

"I don't kn-" She stops abruptly, fixing her gaze on the wall briefly before snapping her fingers and whirling around to him. "I told Hux about the droid. Before I got to you in Snokes throne room, or whatever. Shit, is Finn, uh, FN 2187 dead?"

"The traitor?" He rubs his temples, attempting to put together some understanding of what she's talking about. "Not according to Hux's reports. By all accounts, he and another commandeered a ship."

"Ok…" she nods slowly, mumbling under her breath. "Maybe she managed to escape somehow.."

"Why has this got you so riled up, Star?" He moves closer to the panicking girl, drawing her into his arms. She shakes her head, allowing hair to fall across her face.

"I don't know. It's not like I know anything else that's supposed to happen, right?" She exhales, blowing out her cheeks. "Something just seems off."

Kylo presses a soft kiss to her forehead, tucking the fallen hair behind her ear. A hum vibrates his vocal chords as he releases her. "Go explore the ship. I'll find you shortly." He winks at her, turning on his heel and moving in the same direction as Phasma. "And don't get into to much trouble." He calls over his shoulder with a smirk.

She forces a laugh, mumbling a mocking 'yes dear' as he walks away. Her mind replays every image of the end of the movie, from the throne room fight to the millenium falcon. How could Phasma have survived that fall? With a shake of her head, she pushes the thoughts out of her mind and for once, does exactly as Kylo said: Explores. Stella walks lazily through the halls, her eyes trailing over every inch of the steel walls of the Finalizer. She pauses at each window, gazing out at the remarkable view of the galaxy outside.

"You've got to be kidding!" Stella squeaks as she turns a corner, spotting the only friend she made on the Supremacy aside from Hux Ren. "Brynn!" She yells through the hall. The tall woman whirls around, grinning ear to ear.

"Stella!" She mirrors her excited squeal. Stella bolts across the busy corridor, flinging her arms around the blonde.

"How did you get here? Are you okay?" She rambles.

Brynn smiles brightly, gripping Stella's hands in hers. "I heard you were causing trouble down in the hangar on the Supremacy and went I got there, the rebels attacked us! I got in the first transport ship I could!"

"I would never cause troub—" Stella feigns a shocked expression, bursting into a fit of giggles before she can even finish her sentence.

"Is it true that you tried to kill Command— erm, Supreme Leader Ren?"

She rolls her eyes, slapping a palm to her forehead. "The rumors in this place are ridiculous." She grunts. "No! Of course not. I saved his ass! He wa—" The trash bin behind Brynn chirps, interrupting Stella. She cocks her head curiously. "Did you hear something?"

"No." Brynn answers far too quickly. She takes a step to her left, blocking the bin from Stella's line of sight. Another chirp, somehow familiar to her ears, sounds from the black can. Brynn kicks her heeled shoe against it, shrugging nonchalantly. "Probably my shoe squeaking on the tile. So, how about you?! You started sa—"

The trashcan moves on its own, a third chirp echoing inside and Brynn inhales sharply. She grabs Stella's arm, pulling her inside the nearest vacant room (to their dismay, a utility closet) and lifts the moving-on-it's-own trash can into the air.

"BB-8!" Stella whispers, eyes widening in excitement. "What the hell? How is it.. what're you.. I thought it got away with Finn and Rose?" She crouches in front of the small cylindrical droid. Like a frightened animal, it zips away and hides behind Brynns legs.

"I found it as we were evacuating.. You should've heard the sweet little thing. The rebels just left him behind!" Brynn coos, kneeling beside the orange ball and petting it like she would a dog. BB-8 beeps wildly, clearly in disagreement with her description of the events and rolls out in between the girls. "I couldn't leave him, Stel. I know he's with them, but I want to get him home."

Stella inches closer, extending her hand as though the creature was going to sniff it. She snorts a laugh as the droid extends a robotic claw and shakes her hand in an extremely human fashion. "It's very nice to meet you, BB-8." She is completely in awe. Of course, in the month she's been in this galaxy, she has encountered multiple droids, but she finds herself starstruck over this one. Stella adjusts the little antenna on his head, just as she'd watched Rey do in the movie, earning a happy chirp from the robot. She giggles softly, looking up at Brynn.

"Kylo and Hux cannot get their hands on him." The blondes shoulders drop from their tense state as she nods erratically in agreement. "We'll find a way to get you back to Poe."

The droid flicks a lighter out, giving them a sort of thumbs up.

 **(Yes I know BB-8 is in the last few scenes of Last Jedi. Creative liberties people ;])**


	20. Ch 19

Stella pokes her head out of the utility closet, scoffing in dismay at the busy halls. They'll never get the droid hidden during shift change. She slinks back into the cramped space, sliding the door shut behind her and leans against it. A deep sigh leaves her lungs.

"So what's the plan here?" She drags a hand through her tousled mess of hair, making a face at how gross it feels. Apparently she hasn't been taking very good care of herself lately. "Can't we put him in your quarters for the time being?"

Brynn shakes her head, glancing between the droid and Stella. "I have a roommate."

"You do?" Stella cocks her head to the side.

"Stel, there's like 20,000 people on this ship alone. Most of us do." The blonde purses her lips. "And I'm certain she would notice the appearance of a droid." Stella shrugs, raising her palms in surrender.

"Ok, well I don't even have a place to live at the moment. Kylo is searching for one right now."

Brynn's eyebrows raise, a knowing grin playing at her lips. "Oh?"

"Shut up." Stella snaps.

"Are you and him..?" She locks her index fingers together.

"What, you mean this massive rumor mill hasn't spread that around yet?" She mocks, rolling her eyes dramatically.

Brynn bounces on her toes, her blue eyes brightening with excitement. "You are together!"

"No! I mean, yes. I don't know!" Stella rambles, smacking her palm against her face. "Can we just stick to the important stuff here? I'd rather not discuss my relationship with Kylo with a robot who works for his mother listening in!"

A snort of laughter echoes through the enclosed space and Brynn covers her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. "Ok ok. You're right. Look, he's been in my quarters during the day, and I found a mostly abandoned control room for the rest of the time. I think your, um, friend," she winks. "Had a little outburst in there at some point."

Stella nods, instantly understanding (and disregarding the friend comment). "It sounds like you have a system then. Why do you want my help?"

"The problem is moving him every day, twice a day!" Brynn pats the little droid on the head. "He's not very good at keeping quiet."

She smirks, eyeing the orange and white ball as it chirps angrily. Stella kneads her aching shoulder and exhales softly. "Well let's get him to the control room for tonight and we can figure something else out once I'm settled in."

Again, she peaks out of the utility closet, nodding a quick 'all clear' to Brynn before slipping into the hall. The two girls, and completely not subtle moving trash bin, amble through the now mostly empty corridors, glancing wildly in all directions at any small noise. Brynn takes the lead, sharply turning corners and gesturing for Stella and BB-8 to follow once she is certain it's safe.

"Just down that hall." She mumbles to Stella, pointing to a doorway to their left. Stella nods curtly. 'So far so good.' She thinks.

The heavy stomping of boots over the tiled floor makes her regret that single thought. "Fuck. I jinxed us." She murmurs as Kylo Ren's dark silhouette moves toward them. Brynn shoots her a confused look, quickly standing at attention.

"Stella," He blatantly ignores the presence of another person beside her, let alone the out of place trash can. "When I suggested you explore, I didn't expect you to find your way down here."

Not terribly good at thinking on her feet, Stella forces an uncomfortable laugh. "I'm lost!" She grabs for his hand, fluttering her lashes up at him. "I'm so glad you found me." Maybe flirting will distract him?

He raises a brow at her curious actions. A movement over her shoulder catches his attention and he raises his index finger, stopping the girl in her tracks before she can sneak away. Brynn freezes in place, held down by Ren's power. His eyes drag over the blonde haired woman. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, my Star?" Kylo drawls.

"Oh, um, this is Brynn. I met her at my job on the other ship." She stammers, fidgeting in place. "We just kind of bumped into each other here and were catching up." Her stomach churns with a nervous bile, petrified that Kylo knows what they are up to. It's increasingly clear that he doesn't like Brynn already.

"Supreme Leader." Brynn bows her head respectfully as he releases his hold on her. Her knees tremble as her superior advances on her, his eyes narrowing.

A thud sounds from the trash can, metal echoing against metal. Stella grips Kylos shoulder, whirling him around to face her before he can process where the sound came from. "Did you manage to find a place for me to stay?" She smiles innocently as his expression softens. As their eyes meet, any trace of concern over the noise seems to melt away. Guilt pits her stomach. She's using his emotions to distract him. Maybe she should call this all off and tell him about the droid… He simply nods, she hopes in response to her question and not the thoughts plaguing her mind, and dismisses Brynn with a wave of -a hand behind him.

Stella loops her arm with his, allowing him to lead her through the halls and toward her new quarters. She grips him tightly, her mind bouncing back and forth over the days events. The conflict inside rips at her, and she wonders if this is now Kylo Ren feels all the time. 'No wonder he completely drowns out any emotions.' She chews on her bottom lip.

"So, you made a friend?" He casts a veiled glance in her direction. Something about the way she is acting and the hurried exit of the other girl rubs him the wrong way. What is she hiding?

Stella, jolted from her internal struggle, scoffs playfully. "You make it sound like I'm not a perfectly pleasant person!"

He hums, chuckling to himself. Perhaps he is overreacting... she seems like herself now. With a shake of his head he pushes the thoughts from his mind, moving through the corridors until arriving at the door next door to his own. He looks down Stella and gestures her forward. "Home sweet home." Kylo murmurs, flicking the blast doors open.

Stella inches into the vacant apartment, biting back a smirk at the design. It's identical to Kylo's in every way. "Your designers really took their theme and ran with it, hmm?" She trails her fingertips over a section of wall. "Who'd you have to kick out to get me the place next to yours?" She raises an accusing brow, turning to face him.

He observes her every movement from the doorway, just as he had done before on the Supremacy. The look of awe on her face as she stares around the room never ceases to make him smile. "My General took care of that before I proposed the idea to him." Kylo rolls his eyes, a ghost of an approving smile on his lips.

"Your General?" She mocks, propping a hand on her hip. "Did you just claim Hux and compliment something he did in the same sentence?"

He rolls his jaw, pursing his lips. "So it would seem."

Stella hums, a close lipped smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Her exploration of the room continues into the bedroom, peering around at the space. She stops in front of the large, albeit bare, closet and groans as a realization dawns on her. "Shit." She mumbles. "I left everything I own back on Tatooine."

"I'll have them returned here as soon as possible." He nods, stepping behind her and resting his hands on her shoulders. His palms and fingers knead against her skin and send chills down her spine. She tilts her head back against his chest, leaning into his touch.

"Thank you." She whispers. "I only really care about the phone."

"I'm surprised you didn't bring it with you."

She whirls around, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Trooper uniforms don't have pockets. And I was a bit preoccupied with trying to save you." She taps her index finger on his chest.

He slinks his arms around her waist, drawing her closer and presses a loving kiss against her lips. "I have work to do this evening, Star. You should get some rest." He murmurs, burying his face into her neck. She bobs her head, yawning at the mention of rest.

He trails kisses along her jawline, and up to her lips before moving away from her. Stella's arms drop heavily at her sides, her skin instantly missing the warmth of his body against hers. The doors to her new home close behind him and she sighs. She can't help but feel like a bitch for playing with his emotions like this, and for hiding something from him. Crossing her arms over her chest and hugging the soft fabric of her tunic against herself, she pouts for a moment. It'll be worth it.. right?

She presses her ear against the door, listening for any indication that he is still in the hall. Silence meets her. Only the sound of blood pulsing in her ears can be heard. She rushes into the hall like a bullet, running at full speed back to the place she left Brynn. Time to move the droid again.


	21. Chapter 20

**_*A/N… this chapter will kind of jump around to different parts of the ship, just as the films do. I'm hoping it makes sense outside of my brain. If not…. so sorry! I worked insanely hard on this chapter since it's number 20! I hope you enjoy it!*_**

The halls around her are mostly empty as the night falls over the ship. Stella pauses, steadying her shaking hands and leans against a wall to calm her down. If she continues down this path and helps BB-8, she's certain she'll lose Kylo Ren. If she loses him, what was the point of all this? She sighs, resting her palms on her kneecaps and bending forward. She inhales deeply. If she doesn't help BB-8, there goes one more creature she has the chance to protect. As she exhales, Stella shakes her head and straightens up. She can't go through with this. Her brisk steps carry her across the massive ship, Stella still can't believe how enormous these Star Destroyers truly are, and to the doorway Brynn had pointed out earlier.

"Brynn I need to t— oh." She stops mid sentence, looking around the vacant control room. Just as her friend had described, the walls are shredded and sliced open from Kylo's lightsaber. The man really does have anger issues. BB8 chirps at Stella, zipping to the opposite corner of the room. "Sorry, I thought she'd still be here." She mumbles, rubbing her upper arm.

Stella stares at the droid, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Can I ask you something?" She begins, crouching down to its level. Slowly, the robot inches a tiny bit closer. "Do you think Brynn can actually get you home?" Bb8 beeps wildly in response. Stella giggles.

"I'll take that as a yes?" She grins, raising a brow. He flicks a thumbs up to her. "And if I don't help, would it make me a bad person?"

The droid falls silent and Stella hangs her head. Blowing out her cheeks as she sighs, she nods. "Yeah, I figured." She kneels on the ground, folding her hands in her lap and looks up at him. "I'm sorry. There's part of me that desperately wants to help you, but I can't go behind Kylo Ren's back. We haven't had an argument in over 24 hours and I'd really like to keep it that way.." She shrugs her shoulders. "I hope you can forgive me." BB8 chirps as Stella crawls to her feet again.

"You know, you're a pretty big deal back where I'm from." She laughs softly to herself. "My little sister, Luna, she has this shirt with you on it and it says 'let's roll'. She absolutely loves it."

Rolling back and forth at her feet, almost excitedly, BB 8 beeps.

"Do people here just know how to understand robot sounds? Is there some class they have to take to learn 'droid'?" She murmurs, shaking her head.

The door behind Stella hisses open, surprising her. She whirls around, thankful to see Brynn standing there and not Kylo.

"Oh good! You're here!" Brynn smiles, keeping her voice just above a whisper. "There's been a change of plans."

Stella swallows the nerves rising in her throat and shakes her head. "Listen, Brynn.. I can't help you with this. I'm out." She states, matter-of-factly.

"Of course you can!" Brynn furrows her brows. She grasps at Stella's hands. "Stel, if we get him out of here, we can go too!"

"What?" She jerks her hands away, backing as far from her as the small space will allow.

"Come on!" She flings her arms in the air, dropping them heavily at her sides. "You and I don't belong here! We're on the wrong side."

Stella crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm not on any side."

"You're sleeping around with the leader of The First Order, Stella. That's pretty clearly his side."

"Exactly." She nods, pursing her lips. Under any other circumstances, Stella would correct the 'sleeping around' remark, but not today. "I'm on _his_ side. Not the First Order, not the Resistance, not the Jedi. Just his. And I'm staying out of this. I'm sorry, Brynn."

The blonde steps closer to Stella, narrowing her eyes. "And what do you intend to do? Run off and tell him? You actually think I'm going to let you mess this up? I'm getting away from this hell, Stella. You aren't going to stop me." Brynn's voice shakes as she quickly whirls around to the droid. She crouches in front of BB-8, murmuring under her breath. A loud beep pulses from the robot, followed by a familiar voice.

"Brynn? What's going on?" Poe Dameron. Stella would know that voice anywhere. She's still convinced her sister Natalie only watched the movies to look at him. (Not that she can blame her for that.)

"Poe, we have a problem." Brynn replies, speaking into the holo-projector. "We need to do this now. No waiting on the transport."

Stella's jaw slacks open. "You're one of them?" She whispers, completely shocked. Brynn ignores her, with a shake of her head. Her blonde hair falls across her creasing forehead.

"Who's with you? Is everything okay?"

"She's no one!" Brynn spits, grabbing Stella's arm and opening the door. She drags her into the vacant hall, barely reacting as Stella tries to free herself. "I'm going to the reactor now. Is your slicer there?"

"Yeah, Finn's on it. Get down there and we'll figure it out from there." Poe assures her through the robot's speakers.

"Brynn, stop!" Stella yanks her arm back, forcing the blonde to halt for a moment. "You're with the Resistance?"

"Stella, I'm getting off of this ship. FN 2187 opened the door for this! No one has gotten away from the First Order and lived to talk about it like him. I want that. And This droid is my ticket out." She tugs on her arm, pulling her into an elevator and to the lowest level of the ship.

* * *

After leaving Stella's chambers, Kylo Ren hurries past this own and toward Hux's. It's late enough in the evening that the General will have retired from the bridge for the night. His thoughts run rampant, darting between confusion and paranoia. The girl Stella was with seems odd. He sensed something different about her, and it's chilled him ever since their meeting. Stella's behavior around this woman was equally as suspicious. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was hiding something from him. His lip twitches into a snarl at the thought as his fist pounds heavily on General Hux's door.

As the door slides open, revealing a very confused Hux, Kylo barges inside.

"Something I can help you with, Supreme Leader?" Hux scowls, crossing his arms over his chest as the dark clad man shoves his way into the suite.

"I need information on one of your officers."

"You have full access to that information, Ren." He grunts, moving into the living quarters and retrieving his tumbler of whisky from the table. The honey-colored liquid swirls in his glass as he raises it to his lips, tilting it back. "Why would you need my assistance?"

"I don't need a reason, General." Kylo spits. "Her name is Brynn. That's the only information I have on her."

A smirk creeps over Hux's features. "I assume this involves Stella somehow?" He crosses to his data pad, snatching it up and begins searching for the name.

To Hux's credit, the lack of legitimate names for his troopers made finding this single officer, out of hundreds of thousands, quite simple. Even though Kylo Ren would never admit it, the General does have a decent system. There are only 4 Brynns in the datapad and Ren, staring over Hux's shoulder, points to the image of the blonde haired woman from the hall. "That one." He instructs. Hux nods, bringing up her information on the large holoprojector in his office.

"I vaguely recognize her." Hux muses, tilting his head upon entering the office. "Why is she of such importance? According to this, she is assumed dead after the Supremacy's destruction."

"Hm." Kylo almost smirks. He mentally retracts his previous compliment of the system. His eyes drag over the information on the screen in front of them as Hux reads it aloud.

"Brynn Kase. The daughter of Ian Kase, a special forces pilot in the Imperial Military. She attended the Skystrike academy on Montross at 13 under the pilot training program." He pauses, raising a brow. "But was removed from the program at age 16. Captain Skerris noted that her behavior was too erratic to move forward with the training."

"Erratic?" Ren repeats, creasing his forehead. "Why was she placed on the Supremacy with a history of erratic behavior?"

"Because of her lineage," Hux continues, ignoring the obvious disapproval from his (unfortunate) superior. "She was returned to the Corulag academy for basic reconditioning and programming. She exceeded expectations and upon her graduation in 27 ABY, was placed as a desk officer on the Supremacy. In the 7 years of her employment, there have been no incidents regarding her behavior."

"Much like your previous traitor, FN 2187." Ren grumbles, eyes narrowing at the screen. Hux tosses back the remainder of his drink, sick and tired of hearing of the one anomaly in his otherwise perfect and loyal army. "This officer is on this ship. She stowed away on a transport before the Supremacy was destroyed. Is it typical for an officer to keep herself out of your system, General?" He mocks.

"Impossible." Hux shakes his head, growling through gritted teeth. "Each person was accounted for upon arrival on their designated location. 1200 to the Absolution, 1600 here, etcétéra."

The argument between the two men escalates to yelling, neither one willing to back down. An urgent message appears on the holoprojector, blocking the image of Brynn with a large red box. Lieutenant Mitaka appears in her place, a nervous look in his eye.

"General," he flinches, clearly not expecting Ren to also be present. "Supreme Leader. You're needed on the bridge. An incoming ship has been detected on our radars and it's assumed to be the Millenium Falcon."

* * *

"Start talking hacker." Finn's attempt at a tough voice earns a ghost of a smirk from Stella as it comes through the droids speakers. "She's in the reactor."

"Y-y-you know, I'm doing you a f-favor." The accented voice stutters.

"That guy? The one from Canto Bight?" Stella raises a brow, speaking more to herself than the listening Resistance members and Brynn.

Brynn stops her hurried work at removing the cover of a control panel. "How would you possibly know that?" She hisses, twisting her neck to stare at Stella.

She simply shakes her head, hugging her arms around herself in response. Brynn rolls her eyes, turning back to the panel and prys the cover off with a grunt. It thuds against the ground, causing Stella to jump at the loud noise.

The hacker begins explaining, in a broken speech pattern, exactly what Brynn should be seeing in front of her. "You need to d-d-disconnect the green w-w-wire, and attach i-it to the blue." He drones on, giving her a list of instructions. Stella bounces on her toes, considering jumping over the droid blocking her exit and making a run for it. She stares longingly out the door into the hall. Maybe someone will walk by and she can yell for help.. Or not. She signs in exasperation, turning her attention to Brynn.

"What exactly are you doing?" She raises a brow, watching carefully as Brynn manipulates the wires just as the hacker had said.

"Don't get distracted, Brynn." Poe warns. It's clear he doesn't believe her that Stella isn't worth worrying about. "DJ almost is locked on to their system."

"G-g-g-got it." The hacker, now identified as DJ interjects calmly.

"Get to the hangar. We'll meet you at the pick up location. BB-8, you know where to go, right buddy?"

The droid beeps in response. Brynn pokes her head out of the reactor's control room, glancing in both directions and nods an all clear to the droid. He zips out in front, leading the way to the hangar. Stella holds her ground, determined not to follow.

"Stella come on." Brynn urges, gesturing her forward with and exaggerated arm motion.

"No. You got this far. Just get out of here and leave me out of this. Please." She pleads.

Brynn drops her head back, rolling it on her shoulders with a groan. She reaches for her belt, pulling out her blaster pistol and pointing it at Stella's chest. "Don't do this the hard way, stel. You'll thank me for it eventually."

Stella winces. She should have expected this, but she truly thought Brynn was different than all these first order zombies. She swallows hard, clenching her trembling hands into fists at her sides as she moves into the hall. The blaster is shoved into her lower back, her so called friend holding it against her tightly as they make their way to the main hangar.

* * *

Kylo Ren and Hux rush to the bridge, Hux cursing under his breath about the incompetence of his right hand man. The entire bridge is bustling with activity. Lieutenant Mitaka stands in the middle, knees shaking as he whirls in all directions, trying to calm the multitude of officers shouting at him.

"Enough!" Ren barks, silencing the room.

"What exactly is the problem?" Hux glares at his Lieutenant, dragging a hand through his gelled back hair.

Quietly, the lieutenant points to the nearest screen. Red orbs pulse all around the Finalizer. Not just the Millenium Falcon, but at least twenty Resistance ships surround them according to the screen. Hux furrows his brows, turning to the 360 windows in the bridge. Not a single ship is in sight.

"Your system seems to be broken, General." Kylo growls, his adrenaline rushing after the mention of the Falcon. He is thought this could be their chance to take the Resistance down. "It's no wonder Snoke never trusted the Finalizer as his flagship."

Hux glares darkly, slamming a fist on the window. He turns sharply on his heel and shoves an officer from his seat. He quickly begins pressing buttons, attempting to fix the glitching system.

A shrill alarm pulses through the bridge, signaling an unauthorized ship launch. Kylo jerks his head toward Hux, silently questioning if that was his doing. The General subtly shrugs a shoulder. This is new territory even for him. The two leaders of the First Order glare at each other, debating if this alarm is another glitch or something to worry about. Ren scoffs, eventually deciding to find out for himself and storms off toward the main hangar.

His hand lingers over the lightsaber attached to his belt. No matter how this plays out, real or not, he is fully prepared to destroy something in a burst of fury. Perhaps he should enlist the help of Kuat-Entralla Engineering to build his own flagship. His General is clearly incapable. Ren's thoughts are interrupted by shouting echoing from the hangar. He bursts through the entrance, igniting his saber just in time to see a TIE fighter zip out of the hangar and into the inky black of the galaxy.

He sneers. "Take that ship down!" His voice cracks with rage, the veins in his neck slamming against the skin. This was the work of the Resistance. "All fighters!"


	22. Ch 21

Ren's thoughts are interrupted by shouting echoing from the hangar. He bursts through the entrance, igniting his saber just in time to see a TIE fighter zip out of the hangar and into the inky black of the galaxy.

He sneers. "Take that ship down!" His voice cracks with rage, the veins in his neck slamming against the skin. This was the work of the Resistance. "All fighters!"

His eyes trail around the hangar, examining the damage done. Multiple troopers are on the ground, shot down by the fighter's weapons. He slices his lightsaber against the nearest solid surface out of frustration. How do they continue getting onboard without his knowledge? And why!? His stoney gaze continues, eyes widening at the sight of a small woman cradling her left shoulder as she mutters under her breath.

"Stella." He hisses, sprinting toward her. Kylo Ren kneels beside her, clipping his lightsaber to his belt once more. "What happened here?!" Unable to control the mix of rage and terror inside of him, he finds himself practically yelling. Stella shakes her head, biting back tears as she holds her bleeding shoulder.

"I'm s-" she begins, only to be silenced by his index finger against her lips. His gaze trails down from her bloodshot eyes, to the wound. He clenches his teeth tightly, rolling his jaw. She's been shot.

The blaster injury isn't deep, but it's enough to need medical treatment immediately. Ren scoops her up in his arms without another word and bolts across the Finalizer to the Medbay, before she can begin to protest. Her head leans against his chest. "You're going to be fine, Star." He whispers, pressing his lips against the top of her head. His mind is pulled in a hundred directions as he places her on a gurney, allowing the medical droids to examine her injury. Will she be alright? Who did this? How did she end up there?

Stella's eyes squeeze shut, wincing in agony as the droids begin cleaning the wound. The initial shock of being shot has long since worn off, and she sobs as the pain truly sets in. He laces his fingers with hers, swallowing the hardening lump in his throat. It no longer matters to him if he's seen as weak for assisting the girl. He refuses to leave her side. She jerks away from the medic, fighting against them as a large needle is jabbed into her arm.

"For the pain." The droid explains, more to Ren than her. Her sobs fade into quiet sniffles within minutes of the drug's injection. While she remains fully conscious, he can see just how drained her body is.

His eyes never leave hers, allowing her to squeeze his hand tightly while they stitch her up. As much as he'd like to, he can't stop the surge of anger pulsing through him as he stares down at the injured girl. Why was she in the hangar to begin with? She should have been in her quarters where he left her. Kylo's lips curl into a frown. Perhaps Stella isn't who he thought she was.

She flinches away from the droid with a pained groan as a bandage is placed over the freshly stitched skin. No, she's far too weak to have planned something like this. And if she was involved, wouldn't she have left on that fighter? Nothing adds up. He is so lost in his conflicted thoughts, he doesn't notice the quick exit of the medic, leaving the pair alone in the examination room.

"You're thinking too loud." She tugs on his arm, jolting him from his mind. He forces a weak smile at her.

"What happened?" His voice is hoarse from yelling.

Stella exhales loudly, adjusting her position on the exam table. Her faces twists into a grimace as she moves her shoulder a bit too much. "I don't know." She mumbles, biting her lip. "I was trying to help a friend, I thought."

"Brynn." Kylo interjects with a growl. She nods.

"I thought if I could get that stupid droid back to Poe, then maybe all of this would go back to how it's supposed to be! He wasn't supposed to be on this ship. Just like Phasma wasn't supposed to survive that fight with Finn! If he got back to the Resistance, maybe there would still be a chance to..." Stella's words trail off, seeming to wilt in her seat; Any willingness to fight drained from her after the days events. She should be sound asleep in her bed right now. "Brynn tried to get me to come with her. She threatened me and kept telling me it was better for me to leave and…" she pauses, shaking her head as a tear rolls down her cheek. "That's what I get for trusting her, I guess. I should have told you from the start."

Kylo's brows furrow, confusion written across his features. "You wanted to remain here?"

She shrugs her good shoulder lightly. "I told her she didn't know what she was talking about. I wouldn't be better off leaving. And i'd never thank her for forcing me. I tried to fight her, but apparently my one day of training didn't quite match her entire life of it." Stella half smirks. "She gave up once the alarms started, I guess their hacker didn't factor those into his equation, and shoved me off the platform. I must have been hit in the hurry to shoot her down." She gestures to the now bacta covered blaster wound.

Kylo Ren drops her hand from his, pacing around the room. He'll kill the moronic stormtrooper who shot his Star. His hands drag over his face, mentally arguing with himself. She had every intention of sneaking a Resistance droid off of his ship, behind his back, and lying to his face. Yet, when given the opportunity, didn't leave him behind. His shoulders tense visibly.

"You're doing it again." Her small voice interrupts the internal battle. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"Why didn't you go with her?" He whirls around, clenching and releasing fists at his sides. Stella's red rimmed eyes dart around, avoiding his own like the plague. She hadn't actually expected him to respond. "You have been petrified of this place since day one. You and I can't go a day without being at eachothers throats. Why would you stay?" He isn't certain what exactly he's angry about at this point. Had she left, he would be completely dedicated to his mission with the First Order, rather than caring for her. He scoffs at the idea. He would have been even more of a mess if she left, and he knows it.

She focuses her gaze on the door. "Why do _you_ stay?" Stella retorts quietly. Kylo is taken back, creasing his forehead. Is she mocking him?!

"I don't have a choice!" He yells, leering down at her.

"Sure you do." The confidence in her voice waivers for a moment. It's obvious she has struck a nerve, and she knows damn well she's about to again. Maybe worse. "Snoke is dead. Luke is gone. You're in charge now." She finally meets his eyes. "You.. you could go back to being normal, regular Ben Solo if you wanted."

Her use of that name sends a chill down his spine. It takes every ounce of self control remaining inside of him to not strangle her on the spot. How dare she?! His temples throb with rage as he slams his fist into the nearest wall, denting the solid structure with his strength. Stella cowers back, scooting as far away as possible without standing. She doesn't trust her trembling knees to hold her weight. "How many times to I have to say 'Ben Solo' is dead!?" His voice cracks with emotion, the sadness in his tone betraying the fury in his eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that." She whispers, gulping nervously. "I'm just saying, you don't have to do this anymore. You.. we," She corrects. "We could just leave."

Kylo, fully prepared to lose his temper again, freezes in place at her words. His chest rises and falls with quick, sharp breaths. "What?"

"We could leave this all behind. I don't know what's going on in your head, Kylo, but I know you're hurting." She folds her hands in her lap, staring down at them. Stella can barely control the flood of tears pooling behind her eyes. "I don't want to change you, I want you to be happy. That's why I couldn't leave. That's why I told her I wasn't going to go behind your back and help hide the droid. I left my room so I could tell her I was out."

He tilts his head to the side, the darkness in his eyes softening as he observes her. How can such a delicate creature have such a profound effect on him? "You don't want me to change? To go back to being 'normal, regular Ben Solo'?" He repeats her words. His voice is wobbly and uncertain, much like a scared child. She has never heard or seen him so vulnerable.

She inhales, shaking her head. "I don't know Ben Solo. I know Kylo Ren." She twists her fingers in her lap, glancing up at him."The idea that anyone is strictly light or dark, good or bad, is just stupid to me. You can just be grey. There's nothing wrong with that."

Cautiously, he moves toward the metal slab she's seated on. His shaking hand brushes a tear from her cheek, and tilts her chin up to face him. No one has ever spoken to him in such a way. No one has ever once thought he was good enough just as he is. No one, but Stella. Their eyes lock, his own welling up with tears at her approval. "I love you, Star."

Stella can't help but laugh softly. Aside from her family, she's never heard those words from someone who truly meant them. An ear to ear smile inches across her face. "I love you too, Kylo Ren."

 ***A/N... Dont worry, this isn't the end for Stella and Kylo. Hope you enjoyed the roller coaster of emotions in this chapter! I definitely enjoyed writing it! Thanks for all the love and reviews!!***


	23. Ch 22

The two days following Stella's injury are uneventful at best. Kylo Ren insists upon having her stay in his quarters, for "her safety" he explains. "At least until her arm heals properly." So that he can "keep an eye on her". His excuses were endless. Stella just grins, finding the overprotective behavior rather adorable. Sure, it'll get old eventually, but for now, she's thrilled to be the recipient of his attention!

He kept his word, returning her things from Tatooine. Stella was ecstatic when they arrived. She didn't realize just how dependent on her phone and the precious memories kept on it she actually is! Kylo Ren and Hux were constantly, during those two days, at each other's throats; each blaming the other for the events leading to Brynn's disappearance. Neither one willing to take the blame for yet another Resistance infiltration.

As another day comes to an end, the quiet of night falling over the ship, Stella finds herself locked in Kylo Ren's arms. She sighs comfortably, snuggling closer to him and tugging his comforter higher up on her torso. Already fast asleep, Kylo adjusts with her movements, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She can't help but giggle as his breath tickles her skin.

Her eyes begin to droop closed, heavy from a long day. Her breathing steadies as she drifts into the oblivion of sleep.

Stella blinks rapidly, her eyes slowly adjusting to the intense bright lights of the white room; a steady beeping in her ear alerts her that she is no longer in the place she fell asleep. The warmth of Kylo Ren's arms no longer engulfs her, instead she's draped by a flimsy white sheet. As the room comes into focus, she furrows her brows. A hospital room?

"Stel?" The familiar voice of a female sounds across the room. She turns her head, wincing at the throbbing behind her temples, and spots her step mother.

"Katherine? Wha-" she begins, bringing a hand up to run through her hair. An IV tube poking out from her skin limits her range of motion, she stares at the bag hanging above her head and spots her father slumped over in a chair against the opposite wall. Her throat goes dry with realization. "No. If you're here then I'm.." she shakes her head, panic rising inside of her. She can't be home!

"Stella, sweetheart, you're ok!" Her stepmother soothes, smiling warmly. Her father jerks out of his slumber at the noise in the otherwise quiet room, his eyes instantly brightening at the sight of her.

"Hey kiddo!" He grins, taking her hand in his. "You gave us quite the scare."

"I.. what?" Stella mumbles, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment.

"You slipped on the ice out front. Must've hit your head pretty hard because you've been out for a couple days now." He explains, stroking the back of her hand. Stella touches the back of her head gently, instantly finding the bandage covered bump.

"No, that's not possible." She mumbles, shaking her head. "I was… I'm supposed to.." She rambles, grasping onto the memories of Kylo Ren like fragments of a quickly disappearing dream. "What day is it?"

Her father glances down at the watch on his wrist with a raised brow. "Wednesday, December 19th."

"Stella's awake!" The shrill squeal of her 4 year old sister echoes around the room as the door bursts open. She dives into the bed, hugging her tightly, and earning a laugh from the two older girls behind her.

Tears begin welling up in Stella's eyes, returning Luna's hug with as much strength as she can muster, as she looks around the room at her family. She isn't sure why, but she was certain she'd never see them again. "I love you guys." She croaks, allowing the tears to flow freely. Natalie tilts her head curiously. "What's with the tears?"

Brittany punches her sister's shoulder with a glare. "She's been unconscious for almost three days! Let the girl cry!"

Stella laughs softly, hiccuping as she tries to regain her composure. "I don't know. I was scared I wouldn't get to say goodbye to you guys, I guess."

"Goodbye?" Her father and stepmother say in unison, sharing a fearful look. Stella simply shakes her head, leaning back against the pillow.

The machines monitoring her heart rate begin beeping wildly. As her eyes droop, her vision blurring into blackness, she hears the panicked shouts of her father fading in the distance. The weight of her little sister lifts off of her body, leaving her cold and empty. In the darkness, she swears she hears the child call for her.

Her eyes shoot open, this time instead of the cool white light of a hospital, she sees the dark bedroom she fell asleep in. Warm skin brushes against her own, sending a shiver down her spine. 'It was just a dream.' She blinks, shifting away from the arms firmly wrapped around her. She sits up in the bed, dragging a hand through her hair as she analyzed the very real dream.

Stella shakes her head, blowing out her cheeks with a deep exhale. She, cautiously so as not to wake her companion, crawls off of the bed and tiptoes into the living quarters. Sleep won't come easily after a dream like that, so why wake Kylo with her inevitable tossing and turning.

She curls up on his couch, tucking her feet under her body as she wraps a blanket over her shoulders. The realistic dream has sent her mind racing. Was she actually home? Had it only been two days there? She drops her head into her hands, rubbing her eyes with her palms. She should have been thrilled to see them again, but instead she only wanted to say goodbye. Her stomach knots as though she's just been punched. Would she choose this man she's known for a month, this altered reality, over her own family? Is she that far gone?

With a grunt, Stella leans forward, grabbing her phone off the coffee table in front of her. Maybe a little trip down memory lane to remind her subconscious how much she adores them will put an end to those dreams. She flicks through the photos to the very first ones saved, savoring each and every image. Tears drip down her cheeks as pictures appear on the screen. She hates her dream self for wanting to leave them.

Her scrolling leads her to the phones calendar and once again she counts the days since she first arrived here. "January 8th." She mumbles out loud, squeezing her eyes shut. "Happy Birthday to me, I guess." She drops her head back against the cool leather of the couch and fixes her gaze on the ceiling. Her 25th birthday. Memories of past birthdays, filled with breakfast in bed, dancing with friends, and eating cake with her sisters, zip through her mind. She smiles softly, silencing a long yawn. Stella closes her eyes, focusing all of her remaining energy on the memories and eventually lulling herself into a deep sleep.

A loud crash echoes through the living quarters, jolting Stella awake. She whips her head around, searching for the source of the crash. Smoke pours out of the kitchen and she jumps to her feet, bolting into the room. Her hand clasps over her mouth, stifling a giggle at the sight in front of her.

A cloud of grey smoke fades away as Kylo waves a towel frantically over a blackened dish, spitting profanities. He grumbles incoherently, anger and frustration radiating off of him. The kitchen is a disaster, the counters covered in, what Stella assumes to be, flour. She chews on her bottom lip as she leans against the doorway

"Need some help?" She grins. He whirls around at her voice, stepping in front of the remnants of whatever he was making.

"Go to the bedroom." He orders, nodding toward the bedroom. She shakes her head, peeking over his shoulder.

"I've never seen you cook before." Stella brushes off the front of his shirt, smirking as a cloud of flour surrounds them. "What's gotten into you?"

He exhales, flinging his arms into the air and dropping them heavily at his sides. "I was trying to make you breakfast for your birthday but I burnt the damn hotcakes and now the eggs are cold because they've been sitting there for so long." He frowns, narrowing his eyes at the mess he's made.

Stella's expression goes from entertained to confused, her forehead creasing. "Wait, how'd you know about that?"

He drops his head onto his chest, releasing a ragged sigh. "I woke up again when you left the bedroom. I heard your thoughts last night, star." Stella sucks in a sharp inhale.

"You what?" Her eyes widen, completely taken aback. She had definitely forgotten about that little quirk.

He pounds a balled fist onto the counter beside them. "You've given up everything you knew for me."

Despite the initial shock, and fear of what he may have heard (especially prior to last night!), she can't allow him to think like that. "Kylo, you had nothing to do with my ending up here." She rests her hand against his chest, shaking her head. "I'm sorry you heard that. I had a bad night an-

He cuts her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I owe you this. Please."

Her hand travels up to his cheek, brushing her thumb against the splotch of batter on it. "You owe me nothing." She smiles lovingly up at the man. "Thank you for for this."

He laughs mirthlessly. "For burnt hotcakes and cold eggs? No, I'll fix this." She isn't certain if he's even speaking to her at this point. "Go relax, love."

Stella inches closer to him, entwining her fingers around a lock of the hair just brushing his shoulder. She presses her lips against his, warmth spreading through her as they meet. Kylo relaxes into the kiss, happiness sparkling inside of him. As she pulls away and makes her way to the bedroom, he takes in the sight of her, affection glimmering in his eyes. He turns back to the disaster of a meal burning on the stovetop, sighing deeply. He will make this day perfect for her after all she's given up for him.

Stella, too wide awake after the sudden crash that woke her, decided to use this time to clean herself up. She steps into the fresher, smirking at her mental use of the word rather than her own, and slips out of her pajamas. The shower turns on with the press of a button, adjusting to the perfect temperature and pressure as the water pours down her body. Her mind fades into a foggy illusion as the sensation of the steamy water relaxes her. After a longer than usual amount of time beneath the stream of hot water, Stella dries herself off with a fluffy towel, and tugs her clothes on. She smiles, exiting the restroom to find a tray of breakfast resting on Kylo's bed. A note is folded alongside the meal, his carefully scripted handwriting covering the paper.

 _Duty calls. Enjoy your breakfast, my love. I'll be back soon. -K_

Her smile widens as she curls up on the bed, snatching a piece of some kind of sausage from the tray. It's a little burnt and she can't help but laugh. The hotcakes, it seems are very much like pancakes, topped with different, unknown fruits and syrup. She hums, completely satisfied as she takes a bite. He really is a big softy underneath it all. The corner of Stella's lips turns upward into a smirk.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Stella jumps at the voice, groaning quietly as she looks in the direction of its owner. "I'm not speaking to you." She grinds her teeth, refusing to look up at the glowing ghost of a woman. "That dream was just plain mean, Mara."

The apparition chuckles, perching on the edge of the bed where Stella sits. While she neither confirms, nor denies being the cause of the dream, Stella knows it was because of her that she saw her family again. The man alongside her catches her eye, and she raises a brow. "So.. there's like multiple force ghosts? This is a thing?" Stella takes another bite of her meal, wiping her mouth.

"Ben tried to cook for you?" Mara inclines her head toward the tray. Stella simply nods. "Hotcakes always were his favorite as a kid. There was a diner on Chandrila where he was born that Han would take him to when he was around. Remember?" She turns to the ghost who still stands motionless in the doorway.

"When he was around?" Stella glances between the two, neglecting to ask who the other is.

The man inches forward, bobbing his head at her question. "His parents lived very… separate lives. Leia was a senator on Hosnian Prime. Han was racing pilot. I ultimately think the distance is what coerced Leia to send Ben to us."

Her forehead creases. "Wait, to you? As in Luke Skywalker?" He nods. "You're Luke?!" She almost squeals with excitement. "You look nothing like Mark Hamill."

The now identified man smirks, shrugging his shoulders light as he glances to his wife. She gives a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Look, I'm sure you're here to tell me I need to do more to 'save ben' or whatever," Stella begins, folding her hands in her lap. "But I won't push him any further. He's only ever been told who to be and I'm not going to add to it."

Mara and Luke share a loving smile. Hope glints in Mara's ghostly eyes as she turns her attention to Stella. "And that's exactly why you were chosen." She explains, a soothing tone in her voice. "You have already saved him from the path of total darkness, just like Luke," she stands, moving closer to her husband. "Saved his father, and then saved me. You balance him. I'm here to tell you how pleased I am. However, your job isn't finished. You need to stay on your toes."

"Hm." She hums, nodding slowly, taking in the words. Her eyes still focus on the man claiming to be Luke. She decides he looks similar to the young Mark Hamill from the first films, almost resembling Hayden Christensen more than an older Hamill. "So, Luke, what was with the little shoulder thing?" She brushes her wounded shoulder, mimicking his actions on Crait.

The two force ghosts grin before disappearing from sight. Stella drops back against the headboard. "Thanks for the always cryptic advice and lack of answers!" She hollers into the now empty bedroom and continues eating her breakfast with a scowl.


	24. Ch 23

Stella finishes her breakfast, tossing the dishes haphazardly into the sink. She almost laughs as she looks around the mess of a kitchen, ultimately deciding to leave it for the droids to take care of. She flops against the couch, kicking her feet up on the coffee table and crossing her ankles in front of her. Her gaze lands on the large windows overlooking the galaxy. A deep sigh leaves her lips as she stares into the inky abyss of space. She can't imagine the sight ever losing its appeal. Stella's mind wanders, darting from a The wanderlust she feels while looking into the endless galaxy to disappointment at just how sheltered her little world back home used to be. It took her 25 years, in her same small town, to discover how incredible the outside world is.

After a few minutes of quiet meditation, admiring the window's view, Stella yawns as boredom kicks in. She rolls her neck back against the cool leather of the couch for a moment, just long enough to decide she's been cooped up in this room for far too long. She perks up, jumping to her feet, and strides to the door and into the hall.

As if on autopilot, her less-than-elegant steps carry her around the massive Star Destroyer. She wanders through different sectors, poking her head into random offices and observing the work happening inside. It doesn't take long for Stella to notice the abrupt halt in the troopers conversations and the quickly averting eyes of officers as she passes by. She turns up her nose at each brush off, assuming it has something to do with her relationship with their Supreme Leader, rather than take it personally.

She follows a path she has yet to explore, pausing at the sound of hushed voices coming from a nearby conference room. Instantly recognizing them, Stella presses her back against the wall and inches as close to the cracked open door as possible.

"Kylo Ren is a detriment to the First Order. He's unstable. He needs to be disposed of."

"And what do you expect me to do, General?" Phasma hisses, deliberately disrespecting her superior with her tone.

Hux's boots thud against the floor as he paces. Stella can just imagine the icy contempt in his eyes. "I expect you to follow my orders without question. If all goes as planned, the First Order will be under my rightful command and perhaps there is a promotion in store for you in return." Stella's brows shoot up to her hairline. She definitely should not be listening to this.

"What about the girl?" The captain questions.

"Don't worry about Stella." Hux scoffs. "She's easily manipulated." Stella clasps a hand over her mouth to stifle the gasp threatening to escape her lips. She thought he was her friend! "This will remain between us, am I clear?"

With that, Stella turns away from the door and bolts across the ship at full speed. She whips her head in all directions, assuring herself that she wasn't caught listening in. As she stops inside Kylo Ren's quarters, she leans forward, resting her palms on her knees in an attempt to slow her racing pulse and rapid breathing. Her eyes squeeze shut for a moment as she replays the scene over in her mind. Were they really plotting to take Kylo down? And why would Hux think she's easily manipulated?

"Star?" Kylo peers around the corner, raising a curious brow at the heavily panting girl in his doorway. Her head shoots up.

"Shit." She mumbles under her breath. With a sharp inhale, Stella begins explaining her current state. "Kylo, do you remember earlier this week when I said you could just pack up and leave here? Start all over?" She chuckles nervously, avoiding his eyes. "Let's revisit that conversation."

His forehead creases. "What has gotten into you?" Kylo crosses over to her, concern written across his features. He reaches for her, attempting to pull her in his arms but she flinches away with a shake of her head.

"You just need to get off of this ship." She states, matter-of-factly. She begins pacing back and forth, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. "We," Stella puts extra emphasis on the word, gesturing between them both. "need to get off of this ship. Soon."

Ren grips her shoulders, forcing her to stop and face him. "Stella." The volume of his voice raises. "What is going on?!"

She wriggles her way out of his grasp, moving toward the bedroom and begins tossing clothes out of the dresser and onto the bed. "Let's just leave. Somewhere Hux can't find you."

Kylo stops in his tracks, eyes narrowing darkly. "Hux?" He repeats, mumbling under his breath with a scowl. "Stella stop." He raises a hand out, freezing her in place with the force as he steps closer to her. His predatory gaze frightens her, and she drops her eyes to the ground with a loud sigh. "Tell me what happened."

"I overheard Hux and Phasma planning to overthrow you. Kill you I think." She grinds her teeth as the words fall out clumsily. There had to have been a better way to tell him this. Her voice comes out just above a whisper, forcing him to lean in to hear her. "They don't think you're capable of ruling over the First Order."

A loud laugh echoes through the room. "And you think they would succeed?" He drops his hold on Stella, clasping his hands behind his back as he does while speaking to those beneath him. She can't help but shrink away, still averting her gaze.

"I don't want to give them that opportunity." She shrugs lightly. "Your mother would assist you in hiding in a heartbeat, you know."

"This is just another ploy to 'save' me." The frown on his lips deepens as a growl reverberates through his vocal chords. Stella throws her arms in the air, dropping them heavily at her sides. For once, could he stop assuming she is out to get him?

"If by 'save you' you mean save your damn life, again? Then yes. This is another ploy to save you." Her sharp tongue will get her in trouble one of these times. "Just think about it!" She yells. "He can turn the entire army against you with a snap of his fingers! Hux is a snake and only looks out for himself, Kylo. Don't pretend you don't know this!"

"Of course I know that!" Kylo matches her volume, whirling around and slamming a heavy fist into the wall. "I've known he's been plotting this since the moment he saw Snoke's corpse! But I have no intention of running like some coward!"

"It wouldn't make you a coward!" Stella groans, tilting her head to the ceiling. "Mara, now would be an excellent time to make an appearance!"

The look on Kylo's face goes from anger, to confusion, to realization all in a matter of seconds. He cracks his neck, rolling his jaw as an apparition of his aunt appears behind her. "You. I should have known you were the one poisoning my Stella's mind."

Stella glances over her shoulder, noticing the ghost and momentarily realizing how ridiculous this situation is before turning back to Kylo. "She hasn't poisoned anything, Kylo. She's been trying to protect you!"

"Ben, listen to her." Mara pleads, daring to inch closer to her nephew. Her red hair brushes Stella's shoulder as she moves through the room and she shudders. This force ghost thing is really starting to freak her out.

He ignites the lightsaber at his hip, driving it directly into the mattress between him and the apparition. "No! You were a traitor! You ignored your master's orders for the light! I won't let my master down! I'm not weak!" His breathing is ragged. Stella chews on her bottom lip as her knees tremble beneath her. Kylo falls to his knees, dropping the weapon on the ground as tears well up in his bloodshot eyes. The veins in his neck slam against his skin. A sob rifles through him, shaking his entire body. "You let him try to kill me. Why would you try to protect me now?" The voice that comes out is weak and vulnerable, almost broken. She wants to throw her arms around him and make this heartbreak go away, but knows it's not her place.

"Ben.." Mara's own voice cracks with emotion. "I did everything to convince Luke that you weren't a bad kid. I loved-" she pauses with a shake of her head before correcting herself. "Love you like you're my own child. I know better than anyone what is happening in your mind. Please." She extends her arm, resting a hand on his tense shoulder. He flinches away, cowering like a frightened child. Stella suddenly feels as though she's interrupting a private moment. "Please let go of this delusion. Let me protect you the only way I can."

Kylo's eyes seem to fluctuate between rage and comfort, dark and light. Stella furrows her brows, moving toward him. The balance she believes she had found in him is no longer calming the madness in his mind, and once again his soul is split, ripping him back and forth. His chin drops to his chest, tears flowing freely now. She kneels beside him, carefully dragging her hand over his back and tracing tiny circles along his spine. "Your family hasn't given up on you, Kylo. I really think Leia would help us get away." She murmurs softly.

"I can't go crawling back to them, Stella." He leans his head against her, allowing her to wrap her arms completely around his broad shoulders. She strokes his hair lovingly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. As she inhales his scent, a quiet sigh leaves her. She needs him to see the light.

"At least think about it." Stella whispers into his hair. "For me." Kylo gives the weakest of nods. If he wasn't leaning against her, she may not have noticed it at all. She glances upward, meeting the eyes of Mara Jade. The ghost forces a tight lipped smile, knowing the girl doesn't need her help any longer. She's done all she can. It's up to Ben now.

"Ben, I want you to know I forgave you a long time ago. Take good care of him, Stella." Her soft voice disappears from the room along with the glowing warmth of her presence. Something inside Stella tells her that would be the last time she would see the woman who brought her to this galaxy. It leaves a pit in her stomach. She returns her attention to the broken man in her arms as he shifts his position, steadying his breathing.

"Why would she forgive me?" He grunts after a moment, dragging a hand over his tear stained face. "I killed her. She practically raised me and I killed her. I am a monster."

Stella quickly shakes her head. "No. You aren't." Silence falls between them once again, only interrupted by his soft sniffling as he regains his composure. "You know.." she begins, almost nervously. "Luke hid for, what? 15 years? And he had the same people looking for him as would look for us. It'll be difficult, but we can do it. And you will never have to feel like this again. But if that's not what you want, I'll be by your side no matter what."

He pulls away from her, staring into her eyes deeply. His pupils dart back and forth as he bores into her. Kylo always believed himself to be too far gone to ever be cared for again. To ever have someone hold him like this. To have someone to confide in and seek advice from. The majority of his life, his parents were gone. Between his father traveling as a racer and his mother parading around as a senator, his aunt was the closest thing to a confidant that he had. That night at the temple, when rage completely engulfed him and he murdered her, her heartbroken eyes peering up at him just as he had looked at his uncle, was the moment he let the light go. He gave himself completely to the dark side, but something always pulled his soul away. Mara was always in his mind, begging him to turn away. Even his grandfather's mask wasn't enough to pull him fully into the darkness.

Since that moment, he strived to be stronger. To outdo even Darth Vader and prove that he was dedicated to the dark side. But now, with the entire first order under his reign, and the power to bend the force at his will, a realization dawns on him. He doesn't want any of that.

Kylo trails his fingertips along Stella's jaw. "It's not going to be easy." He whispers, reiterating her previous words. "But you're right. We can get away from here and start our own life."

 ***A/N... I've had an insane few weeks to updates have been slow but the next chapter should be out soon!! I really hope you are enjoying where this story is heading! I know I'm loving writing it!! Thanks for all the reviews and favorites!***


	25. Ch 24

_*A/N: Im SO sorry for disappearing and leaving this story at such a turning point! Things went from bad to worse in my personal life, and after having a miscarriage I was essentially bed ridden out of depression for about two months. I'm back and doing my best to get things back to normal, which includes continuing this story. Enjoy and thank you so much for sticking with me!!*_

The pair, determined to make their exit as painless and quick as possible, sit down to construct a plan immediately. After tossing around ideas for well over an hour, Kylo perks up with the perfect plan. It will be simple. Hux is already in the market for another Kyber crystal, and Kylo knows exactly where to find them. In fact, he should be a bit insulted that his General never asked for his help in this. The trip to Christophsis will be a perfect excuse to remove them from the ship.

"Aren't those the things in lightsabers? Is Hux, like, trying to build his own or something?" Stella scrunches her face in confusion.

"A much larger weapon." Kylo sighs, dragging a hand across his face and unintentionally drawing Stella's attention to the dark circles beneath his eyes. This whole supreme leader thing is clearly exhausting him. She frowns in response.

"Another Death Star? What is this, the third one? You darkside guys know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, right?"

He shakes his head softly, a faint smirk on his lips. "I'm certain Hux is planning something much larger, and without the flaws of the Starkiller Base and Death Star."

Stella hums with a nod. "Third time's the charm I guess.." She murmurs. The thought of one of their weapons being indestructible would put a major kink in their plan. "So, what? You'll go to the bridge and admonish him for not having a crystal, insist you go to Christo-whatever and get one and I just sneak alongside you?" She raises a brow.

"Of course not." The mischievous grin forming on his lips sends a chill up her spine. "We'll have a little argument in his presence, and trick him into thinking sending you along was his idea."

"Because you'll be against it." She realizes the meaning of that grin and almost laughs. "And he'll think he's done something to piss you off."

"Exactly, my brilliant girl." He nods, pressing his lips against hers. "Christophsis is at least a 6 day trip there and back, and that's without any mining for crystals. We'll have more than weeks head start before he realizes anything out of the ordinary."

"You have a lot of faith in my acting abilities, Kylo." Stella chews on her bottom lip, only slightly joking. "You've seen me try to hide something from you."

"I can't imagine arguing with me will be a difficult task for you, my love." He chuckles. Her eyes roll dramatically. He isn't wrong, but that doesn't mean she is confident it will work. He takes both her cheeks in his strong hands, the skin on skin contact instantly melting away any nerves inside of her, and tilts her up to meet his eyes. She is certain she'll never tire of that little perk of his power. "Stella, this will work. Armitage will be so thrilled with angering me, he won't have a moment to be suspicious. He's not as brilliant as he likes to believe." Kylo snorts. "I'm going to the bridge. Join me in an hour." He commands, nodding reassuringly. Their lips meet once more in a chaste kiss before he hurries out of the suite, leaving Stella to her own thoughts.

"We can get away from here and start our own life." His voice echoes in her mind. 'Our own life. Just the two of us.' She practically swoons at the thought and is instantly disgusted by her school girl-esque reaction. The smile has hardly left her lips since she heard Kylo Ren utter those words; Her eyes still glimmering with hope and excitement even hours later. She rests her chin on her palm, drifting in and out of a day dream as she waits for the timer on her phone to go off, signaling her time to go to follow him. As her gaze trails down to the cellphone, her forehead creases and brows knit together. There's no way Hux could have put some kind of tracker into the additional power supply, right? Stella tilts her head to the side, investigating the device. Even two days ago, the thought wouldn't have crossed her mind, but now she's fairly certain she can't trust him.

"Damn." She mumbles, flicking the now beeping phone away from her. She knew having it around was too good to be true. With a shake of her head, she silences the alarm and pockets it before exiting the suite and making her way to the bridge.

The halls are busy as usual, giving her a false sense of security as she comes to a halt in front of the entrance to the bridge. Stella takes a deep. Here goes nothing.. she thinks, shoving her trembling hands in her pockets.

"It's completely unnecessary, Supreme Leader." Hux hisses, spitting out the title as though it's poison on his tongue. "You have an entire army at your disposal. An army of fully capable soldiers. There's absolutely no reason you should be going off an-"

"If your army was so capable, General," Kylo retorts, taking a predatory step closer. "We would already be in possession of a crystal. I'm taking matters into my own hands."

Stella mentally high fives herself. Good timing! She inches forward, raising a brow and feigning her most curious expression. "You're going somewhere?" She questions. A smirk flashes across Hux's features, replaced by his usual scowl so quickly, she isn't even certain she saw it. Kylo waves a dismissive hand in Stella's direction, keeping his full attention on Hux. She purses her lips, reminding herself that this is an act.

"The First Order is in the market for a kyber crystal." Hux answers, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Wait, like the lightsaber things?" Stella, repeating her earlier question, perks up. "Are you going to look for one, Ren? Can I come? The movies never touched on that and I'd lo-"

"Absolutely not." He grunts, interrupting her rambling.

"Why?" She pouts her lips. "Are you trying to get away from me or something?"

' _Bit of a leap there, stel.'_ She clenches a fist, digging her nails into her palm and internally chastising her poor acting skills.

"Stella." Kylo warns, narrowing his eyes. Her gaze darts back and forth between him and Hux.

"Oh come on!" She whines. "I'm bored out of my mind here, Kylo."

"Perhaps," Hux begins, cutting off Kylo before he can even open his mouth to speak. His upper lip twitches into a pleased smirk. "It would be best if our Miss Tompkins accompanies you. It would be a shame to lock her away with how little she's seen of the galaxy."

"Stay out of this." Ren snarls. Stella has to bite down on her lip to keep from smiling. She can hardly believe he took her pathetic bait!

"No!" She latches onto Hux's arm. "Armitage is right! You're being unreasonable!" The flash of anger in Kylo's eyes chills her to the bone. _Too far_. Her pulse quickens and she hurriedly removes her hands from the General's forearm. Hux is practically grinning ear to ear.

Kylo grimaces at both her use of his first name and her hold on his arm. He grits his teeth, jaw tightly clenched. "Fine." He growls, reaching for her hand and roughly yanking her towards the door. "See that my ship is prepared first thing in the morning." His grip remains tight as he drags her through the halls, to their shared chambers.

The moment the doors hiss shut behind them, Kylo releases his grasp and almost inaudibly whispers an apology as Stella rubs the spot he was holding. She offers a soft smile in acceptance before skipping further into the apartment.

"I guess my acting is better than I thought. I'd like to thank the academy!" She giggles, twirling around happily as she mimes holding an Oscar.

Kylo raises a brow, once again confused by her strange references. "Yes, well you were very convincing." He crosses his arms over his chest. Stella simply rolls her eyes, ignoring his blatant jealousy.

"Hux is such a smug asshole." She continues. "Ya know, I would love to kidnap his cat before we leave tomorrow."

"I hate that creature." Kylo grunts.

"Hux or the cat?"

After a beat, Kylo smirks. "Yes."

Stella snorts a laugh. "Cute." She drops onto the couch, smiling lovingly at the man across the room. Her eyes drift down to her beloved cellphone resting where she left it on the coffee table and a pit begins to form in her stomach. "Kylo," She begins. "Do you think Hux could have, I don't know, put some kind of tracker or something into my phone? Or like, bugged it so he could listen in on me? When I was on Tatooine, he made it pretty clear he has eyes on everyone and everything in the First Order."

Kylo follows her gaze. The thought hadn't crossed his mind. Hux is obviously not above scheming his way to the top, but would he be clever enough to come up with such an idea? Stella's loud sigh breaks him from his thoughts as she picks up the device. "Star." he murmurs, stepping closer to her.

"I know." She interrupts before he can continue. "I'll have to leave it here. Just in case." Her fingers dance across the screen, revealing images of her family and friends back home. "It was too good to be true anyway."

"I'm sorry, Ste-" Kylo pauses mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly fixating on something behind her. Stella glances over her shoulder with a raised brow, but cannot find the source of whatever distracted him. His chocolate eyes seem to glaze over, fully transfixed on the spot. "Rey." His once soft tone is now stern as the word leaves his lips.

Stella drops her head down to her chest, blowing out her cheeks in exasperation. "These force connections always have the worst timing." She mumbles, vaguely hearing Rey's voice echoed in the distance. Kylo steps forward, narrowly missing the coffee table in between them. Stella flinches, slapping a palm to her forehead. He's going to walk off a fucking cliff one of these times.

"I need your help." He rakes his fingers through his hair, embarrassed to be pleading with the scavenger.

Rey scoffs audibly. "I'm not falling for that. You made your intentions very clear the last time we met, Supreme Leader." She hisses. Stella straightens, narrowing her eyes at the mocking tone in Rey's faint voice.

Kylo rolls his shoulders, annoyance flaring. "Tell me where I can find you." He commands. "I need to see my mother again!"

"No!"

"Please..."

A sadness tears through Stella's chest. She wants nothing more than to reach out and wrap her arms around him as his voice breaks with emotion. She bites her bottom lip, watching carefully as he reaches a hand forward into the otherwise empty space. Silence engulfs the room, only disrupted by Kylos ragged breathing.

"Coruscant."


	26. Ch 25

After a sleepless night, spent tossing and turning with anxiety, Stella and Kylo make their way to the Finalizer's main hangar. Kylo's fists clench at his sides, causing the leather of his gloves to creak as the familiar spiteful grin of General Hux blocks their path. Stella, alarmed by his sudden presence, stumbles over her own two feet. Kylo catches her by the forearm, pursing his lips in dismay.

"This," he murmurs just loud enough for Hux to hear. "Is why I do not want you coming to Christophsis."

"Supreme Leader," The General honeyed voice interrupts. "I took the liberty of assigning a group of the First Order's special forces to accompany you. It would be unwise to leave the Supreme Leader defenseless should the few remaining rebels get wind of this mission." The snide expression across his face almost dares Kylo to say no. Stella's breath hitches in her throat as worry snakes through her. He knows...

Kylo remains unfazed. "How very proactive of you." He drones in response, shoving past the General and onto the command shuttle. With a short flick of his wrist, he gestures for Stella to follow. She does so, glancing over her shoulder at a now stonefaced Hux. She nods a quick goodbye to the man she once believed to be her friend and moves toward the cockpit of the shuttle.

As Stella slinks into the copilot chair, her eyes drag over the scene laid out in front of her. Two special forces TIE ships rev to life, zipping off into the galaxy. Her head tilts to the side, examining the larger ships. _They must be the same kind that Poe and Finn stole back in The Force Awakens.._ She thinks, snapping the hair tie against her wrist. Within seconds, the command shuttle follows suit and blasts into the darknesss. "Kylo," Stella chews on her bottom lip, nerves radiating off of her. "What's the plan now? I mean, once we get to Chrisophsis."

"Honestly, Stella, were you even listening when you volunteered yourself for this trip?" His clipped tone surprises her and she visibly recoils.

"Wha... I thought tha-"

"You'll remain on the ship while I retrieve a crystal." He glances over at her, quickly taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips. The stark contrast between his words and actions leave Stella dizzy and confused. She raises a brow, eyeing him as though he's gone completely crazy. "Trust me." He squeezes her hand lightly, pleading with her to understand with his eyes.

Stella furrows her brows. "I do trust you, I just..." She trails off, suddenly interpreting the change in his behavior. Her gaze falls on the main control panel. _He thinks Hux bugged the ship..._ She thinks, earning a nod from Ren. She'd almost forgotten about that little quirk of his. Stella pinches the bridge of her nose and clenches her jaw in irritation. "Yeah, of course I trust you."

The three days of travel to Christophsis are draining at best. Kylo and Stella, both growing more nervous as they near their destination, can't even speak of what's coming for fear they're being spied on. It's not an unreasonable fear. If Hux discovers this little plan, he'd surely have them killed for treason. Kylo rolls his head on his shoulders, frowning as he catches a glimpse of the planet. The addition of the storm troopers has made his plan much more difficult, and on top of that he can't even warn Stella of what is about to happen. At least there are only four of them..

His gloved fists slam against the control panel, startling the sleeping girl beside him. "What's going on?" She rubs her eyes groggily as she shifts her position.

Kylos expression hardens. "We'll be landing soon." He nods toward the approaching teal atmosphere of Christophsis. Stella follows his gaze out of the large windshield and her mouth gapes in awe.

"Wow.." She whispers, unable to truly find her voice. The beauty of the unfamiliar planet bewitches her.

"Stella, up." Kylo grunts, gesturing her to follow as he stands and exits the cockpit. She manages to tear her eyes away from the window, and rushes behind him to the small row of seats near the cabin door. "Sit."

Her brows raise as she does as she's told, dropping into the chair and allowing Kylo to place the seatbelt across her lap. She winces as he tightens the strap against her. "Kylo, what's going on?" She mumbles.

His warm breath blows the short hair framing her face as he leans in to whisper in her ear. "No matter what happens, the second we are on the ground, I want you to run. Do you understand?" The frantic nature of his hushed tone frightens Stella and silently she bobs her head. His lips brush against her cheek softly for a moment before he stomps back to the cockpit, leaving Stella alone with only her thoughts.

The minutes seem to last an eternity. With no windows, Stella has no idea how close to landing they actually are. _It doesn't seem like we've slowed down at all..._ She thinks, leaning forward to try and catch a glimpse out of the nearest window. She sighs deeply and slumps back against the cold metal of the chair. As her head connects with the wall behind her, a loud beeping emenates from the cockpit. _What the fuck..?_ Her face scrunches in concern. Before she can truly pause and assess the situation, time seems to stop around her.

The ship jerks hard, crashing onto the dirt covered ground. The crunch of metal pierces Stella's ears as she is whipped forward, only protected from being thrown by the seatbelt Kylo strapped over her. Adrenaline keeping Stella from noticing the shard of metal lodged into her right thigh, she prys herself from the smashed body of the ship. Flames burst around her, the heat singeing her arm hairs as she crawls out of the wreckage, coughing from the smoke. She drags herself away from the destruction, remembering Kylo's order to run but can't help glancing over her shoulder. The pit of her stomach fell at the sight.

The cockpit is completely engulfed in flames, and Kylo is nowhere to be seen. Fear hits her like icy water. "Kylo?!" She shouts, urging her body forward only to feel strong hands grip her upper arm. Her head whips around, and she recoils at the Stormtrooper holding her in place. "Let me go! He's going to die in there!" Her voice cracks as she screams, fighting against the soldier's grasp. His hold only tightens.

"Radio General Hux." The mechanical voice of the stormtrooper radiates from behind her. "The Supreme Leader is dead."

"What about her?" A second voice calls from the safely landed TIE ships.

"She returns to the Finalizer. He'll dispose of her."

Finally managing to tear her blurred vision away from the crash, Stella yanks her harm as hard as she can away from the soldier. "What?!" She yelps. "How can you be so fucking calm right now?! The supreme leader, whatever, is in that ship! Isn't it your job to protect him?" Her question is only met with silence as the trooper tugs her away from the rising flames.

Tears stream down her cheeks, her body going completely limp in the grasp of the Special Forces trooper. _Kylo knew this was coming.._ She reasons mentally. _If I had just continued running..._ An all too familiar buzzing jerks her out of her self pitying thoughts as the grip on her arm loosens. Stella takes advantage of the little bit of freedom and pulls completely away as the trooper collapses to the ground, flooded by a pulsing red light. Her eyes slowly drag upward to the cause of the now dead soldier at her feet.

Kylo.

Stella's heart leaps out of her chest, beating so rapidly and so loudly she's certain he can hear it from his place in front of her. A fresh energy fills her as she launches herself into his arms. He drops the lightsaber, catching her in a bone crushing hug. "How.." She pants, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Shh." Kylo Ren quiets her, stroking her hair gently. "I wanted to warn you sooner.. I knew the second we boarded that my shuttle had been tampered with."

"But what about the other stormtroopers?" She manages to break away from his calming embrace for a brief moment to peek at his battered face. The shards of glass from the windshield shattering left an array of scratches across his already scarred skin. Stella cautiously trails her fingertips over the wounds, causing him to flinch lightly.

"I took care of them. They're gone. And as far as Hux knows they are returning to his ship with you in tow as we speak." He clenches his jaw, anger simmering just below the surface as he trails his eyes over Stella's injuries. He pauses at her thigh, swallowing hard. "Hux will pay for this."

Stella chews on her bottom lip, having completely forgotten about the ailment until this moment. A sudden pain shoots through her body and she leans her full weight against Kylo's chest. "Come on." He mutters, lifting her into his arms. "Let's get that cleaned up and get off of this planet."


	27. Ch 26

Kylo carries the injured girl further away from the wreckage, placing her gently on the most level ground in sight. Stella winces as her right leg is stretched forward and the metal sinks further into her skin. She leans back against her elbows, focusing as much of her body weight away from her throbbing leg as possible.

"This is going to hurt, Star.." Kylo warns, ripping a piece of fabric off of his already tattered cloak. She nods, biting hard on her lip to keep from screaming as he swiftly removes the object and holds his cloth covered hand against the wound. At this point, Stella isn't sure what's worse, the pressure of his hand on the torn flesh, or her now bloody lip. Her head drops back, connecting with the ground as her elbows give way beneath her. Seering, fiery bursts of pain pulsate around the wound, intensifying with each of Kylo's movements to control the bleeding. Black mists swirl around the edges of Stella's mind, drawing her out of consciousness and into oblivion.

In what feels like a matter for seconds, Stella blinks herself awake. She stretches in place, groaning as her arms hit something above her. _Wait..._ she thinks, anxiety twisting her gut. _Where..?_ Her eyes dart around the enclosed space she now finds herself in. The black interior, red illuminated buttons and switches, and a black harness keeping her from slumping over onto the controls... She knows this place. A TIE fighter. They're taking her back to the Finalizer...

"No no no no..." She murmurs, shifting in her seat. Bile rises in her throat at the thought. "It couldn't have been a dream.."

"Star?" A raised voice from behind her jolts her from her panic-stricken state. She whirls her head around, seeing only the back of her own chair and the small partition between the two seats. "How are you feeling? You lost a lot of blood.."

"I..Wait-" She begins, scrunching her face in confusion. No one else calls her that.. "Kylo? Why are we on a TIE fighter?"

A laugh rumbles through his chest. "We didn't have much of an option after crashing. And I had no intention of remaining on Christophsis any longer than necessary."

"Oh." Stella visibly relaxes, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. The visual of riding backwards in this ship is doing nothing for her already churning stomach. "So.. how long until Croissant or Corona or whatever it's called?"

Kylo shakes his head, peering over his shoulder. "Coruscant," he corrects with a smirk. Stella snorts, mumbling a quick 'close enough' before he can continue. "is not our current destination. First we're stopping on Corellia to trade this ship for something a bit less conspicuous."

Stella hums in response. "Does every flipping planet here start with C? Because I'm starting to get confused." She grumbles, earning a soft chuckle from her partner. "Why Corellia anyway?"

His expression hardens. "My father grew up there. I accompanied him more than a few times to get parts for his racers." Stella bites back the smile forming on her lips, momentarily forgetting that he can't see her. "Are you alright?" He glances back in her direction once again.

"You called him your father." She's met with only an indignant huff. "Sorry, it just surprised me to hear you refer to him like that. I assumed after all that's happened.." Stella trails off. "Can you tell me about him? I mean, there was a rumor back home about a Han Solo origin movie but I have no idea if it was true or not. I don't know much before he and Luke met up."

"Your planet must truly be starved for entertainment, love." Kylo scoffs, fidgeting with the controls at his fingertips.

"If this," She frantically gestures to the stars and unfamiliar planets just outside the window of the TIE fighter. "Is your normal view, then yes. We're incredibly starved for entertainment on Earth." Stella laughs. The smile playing on Kylo's lips brightens at the sound of her joy. Warmth fills his chest, something so out of his usual range of emotions (or lack there of). She truly is his balance.

Upon arrival on Corellia, Kylo lands the fighter on the outskirts of Coronet City. Stella didn't realize just how nervous she actually was about that landing until feeling the stable ground beneath her feet once more. She really can't wait to get away from all this flying after the crash! Her eyes trail around the array of shipyards lining the city, each one filled with TIE ships and Star Destroyers. She sucks in a deep breath, uncertain how they will possibly go unnoticed in a place like this, and quickly tugs the hood of her cloak over her head.

"Relax." Kylo murmurs, mirroring her actions with his own hood. Anxiety is radiating off of her in waves so intensely that even a non-force user would notice. His hand presses against Stella's lower back, both comforting her and pushing her forward. "They don't care who we are. Credits do the talking here." She simply nods, not sure if that made her feel better or more fearful.

Kylo leads her to a place that on Earth, Stella would never set foot in. The dingy abandoned-looking building screams "this is where you'll be mugged and left for dead" but he makes for the paint chipped door nonetheless. As the poorly disguised pair makes their way inside what she now realizes is a bar, Kylo takes her hand and pulls her rigidly against his side. "Stay close." He whispers almost inaudibly as they move to the back of the establishment.

He stops abruptly, sitting at the only table along the back wall and pulls her down with him. Stella's eyes widen as a creature across the room begins inching toward their table. The alien-like creature, with its green skin and yellow eyes is terrifying. Stella clenches Kylo's hand tightly, trying her best not to stare. "Besalisk." He whispers against her ear just before the four armed monster sits at their table.

"Tervo." Kylo speaks first, keeping his voice low. Much to Stella's dismay, he releases her hand and lowers his hood, nodding in acknowledgment of the besalisk.

"Ben Solo..." The creature nods his three pronged, bony headcrest forward, grasping his multiple hands together across his protruding stomach. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the self proclaimed leader of the first order?" Stella grinds her teeth in response to his mocking tone.

"You must have me confused with someone." Kylo insists, fiercely eyeing Tervo and waving a hand inconspicuously in front of his face. Stella can't help but grin. It's the first time she's truly seen Kylo use his Jedi mind trick abilities. The alien blinks, clear confusion readable on his features. "I need to make a trade. A TIE SF fighter for a Delta 7 starfighter." His tone remains harsh and insistant.

Tervo releases one set of arms, raising a hand to his chin and tapping it. "Surly you want more than that, traveler. What you offer is nearly double the worth of what you're asking."

Kylo leans back in his seat, boredly folding his arms over his chest. "We will also require a room for the night, food and fresh clothing. And of course, your word that should anyone ask, we were never here." Stella inhales sharply as piercing yellow eyes stare between them, scrutinizing their every move. Kylo, however, remains perfectly calm. He knows he is still offering the cheap bastard much more than he'll be receiving.

"You've got a deal." The besalisk extends a hand and Kylo firmly clasps it. Tervo nods to a humanoid type creature, who immediately gestures for the couple to follow her. Stella rushes to keep up with the swiftly moving woman as she leads them to a small motel just behind the bar and upstairs to a room on the second floor. With a brief nod, she swings the door closed leaving them alone in the small room. Stella glances around at the space. It's no bigger than her momentary room on Tatooine, but at this point she can't complain. The roof over her head, and promise of a meal and clean clothes is enough to keep her happy.

Kylo drops against the bed, releasing a deep sigh as exhaustion washes over him. The stress of the last few days, paired with their extensive traveling has left him completely drained. Stella follows suit, snuggling her body against his as she presses a soft kiss to his temple. She smiles and rests her head on his ches, silently thanking him for bargaining for a little break before the next leg of their journey. Kylo begins to wrap an arm around her small frame, only to be interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

"Go get cleaned up." He gestures toward the bathroom before sitting up. "Clothes and food will be waiting when you get out." Stella nods, suddenly feeling completely disgusting. She hurries into the tiny restroom, turning on the shower and beginning to peel off the dirty, torn and bloody clothing plastered to her skin.

Her fingers dance under the water as it rushes from the faucet, slowly heating to the perfect temperature. As she fully submerges herself in the warmth, her tight muscles seem to release and relax. _Almost home free..._ she thinks with an exaggerated sigh, blowing out her cheeks.

After a much longer shower than she went in intending to take, Stella force's her body out from under the water and wraps herself in a towel. Though it's much less fluffy than the ones on the Finalizer, or Supremacy, she revels in the soft fabric against her skin. She glances around the bathroom, quickly realizing Kylo hasn't brought her clothes in.

Stella pokes her head out of the bathroom, her tired eyes brightening as they meet a smirking Kylo Ren. He holds a canvas bag, presumably containing her clothing just out of reach.

"Kylo!" She whines, reaching as far as she can without exiting the bathroom completely. He simply grins, resting on the bed and crossing his ankles in front of him comfortably.

"Need something, love?" The playful nature of his tone sends butterflies soaring through her stomach. She scrunches her face in mock irritation as she steps into the bedroom, wrapped tightly in her towel. He raises a brow at Stella, almost daring her to come closer.

"Yes actually I do." She giggles, gulping away any trace of fear or worry over the last few days and allowing herself to be truly happy again. Stella leaps onto the bed wringing her wet hair out over Kylo Ren, who catches her around the waist and pins her down to the mattress before she can soak him with her dripping locks. Stella smiles softly up at him as he settles his weight over her, carful to avoid her still healing leg. "I love you."

"I love you too, Stella."


	28. Ch 27

**Guess** **who's back with a new plan for this story! I had planned it out already but after seeing TROS I've decided to take things in a new direction. Obviously it will not follow that film exactly. On that note, if you haven't seen The Rise Of Skywalker yet.. major spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk! Otherwise, enjoy and I hope you like the new direction this is taking!! I'm sorry it's taken me until the new film to continue Stella's story!**

 **...**

 _Kylo blinks rapidly; his eyes adjusting to the darkness surrounding him. He instinctively reaches for the lightsaber at his hip and begins moving into the shadows of the cave-like dwelling._

 _"You had the potential for greatness, Kylo Ren..." A gravelly voice pulses around him, sending chills up his spine. "The new Empire needs a leader, yet you would give it up for a girl. Pathetic."_

 _Kylo pauses at a large opening in the cavern, decorated with massive stone statues, keeping his back toward the wall. His fingers tighten around the hilt of his weapon._

 _"Who's there?" He shouts, almost flinching as his voice echoes throughout the cave._

 _"You were destined to rule the galaxy!" The voice growls as though directly behind him. Kylo whirls around, slashing the lightsaber through the air. He grunts as it collides with a solid slab of rock._

 _"Who are you!?"_

 _A deep, ominous laughter reverberates through the cavern. "Every voice in your head.."_

 _The scene in front of him shifts and moonlight illuminates the stone walls. The massive space is full of black robed creatures, chanting together in a language unfamiliar to Kylo. His brows knit together as an ominous figure is brought toward him, attached to countless wires. It couldn't be… He thinks, adjusting his stance in preparation of an attack._

 _"Kylo…" A second voice, broken and pained, startles him._

 _"No.." Kylo murmurs, gritting his teeth. He trails his eyes around, desperately searching until they land on her. His star. Terror overtakes his features as he focuses in on her. "Stella.." Blood dripping from her mouth and nose, she attempts to uncurl her fractured body from its place on the ground, only to fall back with a whine._

 _The figure reaches a mangled hand out, holding her in place with the force. "You cannot escape your destiny Kylo Ren." Lightning shoots from his fingertips and Stella's body begins seizing and twisting in agony. A shrill scream escapes her lips, drowning the manic laughter and cheers of the robed audience. "The Sith need a leader. Fulfill your destiny.."_

Kylo Ren shoots up from the mattress like a bullet out of a gun; his breathing frantic and labored. The throbbing pain of a force vision lingers against his forehead as he replays everything he just saw. With a quick glance to his left, checking that Stella is still sound asleep and unharmed, he crawls out of the bed and begins pacing a hole in the floor.

"No no no no.." he whispers sharply into the universe. "You won't take her."

The laughter from his vision penetrates his mind once more and Kylo balls his hands into fists. No harm will come to Stella. He begins rushing around the motel, tugging his clothes on and gathering his few belongings. Stella shifts against the mattress, sighing softly as she blinks her heavy eyelids.

"What's going on?" She slurs in an attempt to fight her exhaustion. Kylo purses his lips. He moves to the side of the bed and traces a fingertip along her warm cheek.

"Nothing star. Go back to sleep." If she had only been a bit more conscious, he's certain she would have noticed the way his voice broke as he lied to her. She definitely would have seen the darkness pooling in his once soft eyes. But the allure of sleep pulls her quickly back into a cozy dreamland. As her breathing steadys and Kylo is sure she's asleep once more, he presses a soft kiss against her forehead and quickly sneaks out of the motel room.

The ship Tervo acquired for their original escape plan is just behind then building, exactly in the agreed upon location. Kylo scoffs, almost shocked that the crook had followed through on their deal. He climbs into the aircraft, ignoring the pain of guilt shooting through his stomach, abs without a second thought, launches the craft into the atmosphere.

"Goodbye Stella."

The starfighter he insisted on is fast, traveling much lighter and quicker through the inky black of the galaxy than the TIE ship they had arrived on. His mouth sets into a hard line at the sight of the Steadfast, another of the First Order's flagships. There is no going back to the Finalizer, but here he can't carry out his plan unencumbered by General Hux's nonsense.

The Star Destroyer hangar opens, allowing the unfamiliar ship entry and Kylo effortlessly lands it. He stalks out onto the platform, biting back a smirk at the thoughts of the stunned stormtroopers lining the hangar.

"Supreme Leader!" One shouts, standing quickly at attention. The rest follow suit as he shoves by and toward the bridge. Their feigned allegiance, while empowering is nothing more than an irritation right now.

"Allegiant General Pryde." Kylo's voice commands the room, startling the officers.

The harsh faced general tightens his jaw at the sight of Kylo Ren. He should have known Hux's little plan would backfire. "Supreme Leader," Pryde nods, straining to control his obvious irritation in the presence of a force user. "to what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

"There has been a change of plans, General. Summon our highest ranking generals and my knights to this ship at once. I'll brief the entire Supreme Order at one time."

The grey haired General jerks his head toward his commander, silently passing the order off to someone else. "Yes Supreme Leader."

Kylo turns sharply on his heel, leaving the hangar as he begins to sense a presence he's grown accustomed to. As he enters the hallway, the world around him slows to almost a halt.

"I thought you were coming back."

"Something more pressing came up."

Rey crosses her arms over her chest. Kylo's pull to the light is dimming, a new wave of anger and hatred taking over his soul. "And what could that be? Ben, what has changed?" She pins him with her eyes.

His expression falls blank. "I left Stella on Corellia. See that she's taken care of." For a moment, as the vision of Kylo Ren disappears from her sight, Rey is certain she spots true sadness in his darkened eyes.


	29. Ch28

The sun peeks into the otherwise dark hotel room through a small crack in the curtains, blinding Stella as she finally wakes.

"Ugh, Kylo close the blinds." She groans, rolling over and burying her face into the pillow. After a moment of silence and no response, she lifts her head and glances around the room. "Kylo? Hello?" Stella rolls off the bed, dragging the sheets along with her as she wraps them tightly around her body. She peeks into the bathroom, even checking behind the open door and in the closet to find him. "Hmph." She hums as she comes up empty. "Where the hell are you, Ren?"

Her feet drag against the carpet as she trudges back to the bed and flops against the mattress. It's about as uncomfortable as her old dorm room mattress in college. Stella sighs deeply, allowing her eyes to droop closed once more as her minds wanders. She drifts into a dreamless sleep, still exhausted from the turmoil and stress of the last few days.

There is a fleeting moment hours later when she wakes that she is certain Kylo's deep voice travels through her eardrums, but as her eyes blink open, Stella finds that she is still alone in the dingy room.

 _"Maybe he just went to make sure the ship is there.._ " She thinks, dragging a hand over her face. _"Or to get breakfast.. or lunch.. what the hell time is it anyway?"_

Stella stares at the ceiling for a moment, glaring up at the discolored spots decorating the rundown building. "What if he just left..?" She wonders outloud. "Oh my god.." Her small frame jolts upright as realization washes over her. If he left, she's stuck on an alien planet.. alone.. with absolutely nothing.. "Fuck." Fear crosses her face at the idea. She drops her head into her hands, blowing out her cheeks as she exhales. "Ok, don't think like that." She mumbles. "I'm sure he'll be back soon.. He loves me, right?"

A mirthless laugh escapes her lips. "No he doesn't. He left." Stella chews on her cuticles as hery eyes glisten with the threat of tears. "I'm sorry, Mara. I failed."

A sharp knock on the door startles Stella from her moment of self pity and she hurriedly wipes away the wetness from her cheeks. No one will see her like this. Quickly, she throws on the fresh clothes Kylo had delivered for her the previous night. Stella jumps, almost falling as she slips into the leggings at the sound of another heavy knock. "Who is it?" She shouts, her voice cracking. _This is it. This is the part where i'm kicked out onto the streets.._ She thinks.

"Stella?" An accented female voice responds. "Stella, you need to open up. We're here to help you."

"Rey?!" Stella yanks the door open, stunned to see the dark haired woman in front of her. "What is going on?"

Rey glances back at the massive wookie standing behind her and smirks as he grunts. "He's right." She turns back with a grimmer of happiness in her eyes.

"Yeah that literally meant nothing to me." Stella wraps her arms around herself nervously. "Did you do something to Kylo? Is that why he's gone?"

Rey's jaw visibly tightens. "Ben is gone. There's no trace of light left in him." Stella doesn't fail to noice the way the fingers of her right hand splay at her side. "You ne-"

"No!" Stella interrupts, pointing an accusing finger. "Don't try that force bullshit on me! If I'm going with you, it'll be my choice."

"Stella, I wasn't-"

"Don't. I know how you people work." She rolls her eyes dramatically. "Tell me where Kylo is."

Chewbacca's chestnut fur ruffles at the sound of his name, earning a drawn out sigh from the creature. Rey follows suit, mirroring his sigh. "Ben is gone."

Stella's stomach flips. "Gone?" Her balance waivers and she begins to sway on her feet. She blinks rapidly as her vision blurs with tears.

"He told me where to find you."

She nods silently. _Kylo is gone.._ Her nails dig crescent shapes into the skin of her upper arms, still tightly wrapped around her body as grief and heartbreak wash over her. "Oh.." is all she can muster in response. Chewie reaches forward, resting a gentle hand against her shoulder and groaning something in his foreign tongue. Stella forces a soft smile, assuming it was something reassuring. "Thanks. Um.. he wanted you to find me?" Nibbling on her bottom lip, she cautiously eyes the pair.

"Come with us." Rey insists, grabbing for Stella's hand and tugging her along as they turn and rush into the busy streets of the city, toward the Millenium Falcon.

The legendary ship is far bigger than Stella ever imagined. Her jaw drops at the sight. Rey's brows knit together in confusion. The falcon is hardly an impressive ship compared to the ones she must have seen amongst the First Order fleet. _What an odd girl.._ She thinks, softly nudging Stella up the ramp of the ship.

Stella's eyes drift around, examining every inch of the interior of the Falcon as she wanders through the ship. It's laid out about as she expected, albeit much larger. She trails her fingertips across the surface of a countertop, her mind straying in a thousand directions.

" _This should be thrilling.._ " she muses internally. " _I've always dreamed of seeing this place and I can't even pretend to be excited about it._ " She scoffs with a shake of her head, a weight settling on her heart. " _Kylo can't really be gone, can he?"_ Stella's feet drag against the metal surface beneath her, leading her to the cockpit of the ship. She stares blankly out of the window she's seen a hundred times in the movies and sighs as they jolt into lightspeed and out of the atmosphere. " _Can I even trust the resistance? I mean, if Kylo is dead. Rey has to be the reason.."_

Rey's soft voice and Chewbacca's dull road barely register with her. Her thoughts drown out every outside sound as she sits and drops her head back against the hard wall with a thud. " _The only reason I'm here is gone. The only person I trusted completely and loved is gone. Now what?"_


End file.
